


Earth Is Odd Enough

by anxious_puffball



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alien Character(s), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angels, Angst, Fluff, I'm Sorry, M/M, Magic, Memory Loss, Minor Character Death, No Beta, Not just with relationships, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Patton and Roman have the cutest friendship, Phoenixes, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Slow Burn, Unreliable Narrator, Witches, we die like champs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 02:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 39,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21092042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxious_puffball/pseuds/anxious_puffball
Summary: Patton felt like he was missing something important. Logan had no idea why he knew what he knew and why he had a high tech suit in his closet. Roman always felt hot but not in the way he wanted. Virgil knew the legacy he was born into was not his own and he was determined to change it.Earth is odd enough without these four awkward, unique beings.





	1. Communication

**Author's Note:**

> Ho, boi. I have nothing to say. This is pure imagination carrying me, let's go.
> 
> Overall warning for a take on religion for science fiction/fantasy reasons. Please don't read if you don't like that. I mean no offence to religion, this is purely fiction.  
There will be a space war and experimentation. Read the warnings and please be careful.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton gets lunch with Roman and meets two people who are potentially new friends. A sort of dynamic is introduced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation (clap out the syllables if it helps):  
Galaxian: Ga-lax-e-an  
Jargur: Jar-gurr  
Hevon: said like 'Heaven'  
Langreon: Lan-gre-on  
Pathiel: Path-e-el
> 
> Chapter warnings: Space war, violence, guns, death of all ages, nightmares.  
You can skip down to the first mention of Patton if you want to avoid the war section.  
Also, don't take medical advice from this book. These aren't normal humans.

Langreon watched blankly above the drop site as the planet was sent into flames. War plagued every surface and the beasts of hell were being burnt away. As the first wave jumped from the ship, he continued to scan the area. It was hard to tell what was happening in the night, the creatures racing around looked demonic in the low light.

The first wave landed roughly, suits gathering the force and dispersing it accordingly. Langreon made a mental note of the loud sound before following behind in the second wave. He held his gun at the ready, killing any beast they saw in the ruined field. They passed many allies rounding up the surrendered prisoners for experimentation.

Langreon shot down a lean creature and a large beast snarling beside it. His sensors warned him of movement, so he activated his suit by pressing the necktie's knot on his chest. The design signified he was Galaxian, but it also happened to have a function. He felt the power rushing through him, changing the way he fought.

Langreon spun and delivered the punch with intense force to the fleeing creature. He paused at the sight of wings spanned on the dirt.

This was odd. This wasn't the species he was briefed on. It was winged and wore a ring on its head like a crown. Its nose was knitting back together, suggesting a healing factor at play. Langreon was okay with battling Jargurs, but killing innocents wasn't part of the contract.

"Don't get distracted, Case!"

Langreon blinked at his codename being used on the communicator of his helmet. He pushed his thumb and pointer together to activate his end, "There are other species present-"

"High command has identified them as hostile. They're slaughtering everyone and assisting the Jargurs," a loud explosion sounded and Langreon was knocked from his studying thoughts, "Now get over here!"

The soldier gave one last glance at the unconscious body before racing after his team. A bright light flashed. In response, Langreon's suit activated its light filtration around his eyes. Two creatures similar to the one he had knocked unconscious stepped into view. Immediately, his team started shooting. They combated the bursts of force pushing at them with their suits advanced tech. The full-bodied outfit kept them grounded at the soles while letting them manoeuvre as they pleased.

Langreon was in the fight for all of few seconds before he was knocked away by a tendril of light. He hit a piece of rubble, and his suit was the only thing that saved him from any major injuries. He shook his head, trying clear the ringing in his ears. He soon came to his senses.

Langreon was alerted by the motion sensors built in his suit. He pressed the button to retrieve his gun, activating the connection to bring it back to him. The gun skittered across the gritting ground and into his hand. Langreon rolled to his back, shooting at the beast rushing towards him. He jumped to his feet as the body fell to the ground.

Heavy pants came from Langreon but he wouldn't stop now. He sped to where he remembered his team was, fighting anyone he came across, but no one was in sight.

"Ander-4, I need your position."

Static answered back and he cursed. Whatever those lights were made of, it messed with his suit. He looked around at the smog covered field, rubble and debris scattered dangerously everywhere. He pressed his belt and activated the tracker for his team to find him.

Langreon jumped when a blur raced past him. He shot after it, but it had already fled. Curiosity carried him, but the responsibility to wipe those creatures from this planet was what got him moving.

In front of him was a wrecked ship from which he heard voices. This may be a hideout or a temporary base. Whatever it was, he wouldn't be able to fight without the rest of his team. He was strong, but this was an unknown species and he had no idea what they were capable of doing.

Best to stay out of sight and listen in. Langreon moved along to where an opening exposed the group inside and ducked quickly out of sight.

"We've got most of the children in heaven, but a few are missing."

Langreon's eyes widened at the mention of the name. He'd recognised it from an Earth's legend of the afterlife. He'd studied culture and history to the point of exhaustion, and in the piles and piles of books, it explained a place called heaven. These people were singling out and murdering children deliberately, and for what?

Behind his stoic facade, Langreon was concerned. The hardened soldier worried about the kids of Jargurs. War had a massive effect on society and the younger generations. It was cruel and horrible. Even as the enemy, he didn't want to wipe out the species _completely._

Langreon gritted his teeth and pushed his emotions aside. All he knows is emotions won't win him the war.

"We've done what we can for the Jargurs, but unless the Galaxians come to their senses and stop the assault, all we can do is find them a new home."

"When will this ever stop."

It wasn't a question, so the other didn't answer.

Langreon had no remorse as his team arrived, carrying with them new information on how to defeat and even capture this new enemy. They engaged viciously.

* * *

Hevon came a little late into the battle between the Galaxian Expanse and the Jargurs. It was a war to take the Jargur's system under Galaxian Law. Jargurs had refused the offer to join the Galaxians and claimed to be an independent world. It seemed to be the wrong answer. Before long, the Galaxians had declared war for their territory.

Pathiel noticed this was suspiciously common for an operation that prided themselves on being able to resolve things calmly and diplomatically.

Pathiel's family, his Father, and his angelic siblings, all helped the Jargurs as best they could. His Father nearly exhausted himself, taking down fleets as the archangels fought by his side. The rest of the angels, Pathiel included, were on the central base for the Jargurs. They were loading crowds into their home dimension through physical contact and hiding them behind a layer of space.  
  
He was in the midst of it.

Pathiel noticed a child tripping on its fragile hooves of copper as it tried to get away from an enemy group. It reminded him of a newborn foal back on his favourite planet, all weak knees and stumbling hooves. Pathiel shot himself across the field and managed to grab the child as a blast hit the young Jargur's previous place. He concentrated on home and stepped through the barrier between dimensions, the child in arms.

"Where's my mama?"

Pathiel was lucky the dimension translated languages for him. It _also_ translated his words to theirs, "I'm sure your mama is here," He made his way to another angel on the field of clean grass, "This is Remiel. He'll help you find her."

Pathiel passed the child to the said angel who had a few clinging to his robes already. His eyebrow raised sassily, and his eyes portrayed annoyance. He didn't protest though. Not with the children hanging onto him.

"Go, check for more. We'll continue here," Remiel ordered instead of the snarky comment he held on standby. Pathiel replied with a nod before he moved back to the other dimension.

Pathiel was greeted by a net wrapping around him, sending him to the ground. His wings burst in pain. He yelped in alarm when an electric shock pierced him, pain shaking at his core. He remembered what he learnt years ago about lightning. Absorbing the energy, he released it in an eruption straight from his core.

Pathiel beat his powerful wings and tried his best to ignore the pain. Frantic adrenalin carried him through. He expected the net to fly off with a push. Instead, it tightened around him, and another shock of electricity burned him. He cried out again, his body not listening as he dropped. He began to lose consciousness.

"Send the word to Chem: 'the nets work,'" a voice commanded.

Pathiel refused to give in. He went limp and slid his eyes shut, breathing shallow to lead them to believe he was unconscious. He struggled against the real want to rest and waited patiently for the enemy to move closer to him. From what his heightened senses told him, they seemed to be going for a restraint made of pure metal. It was being welded onto him with what sounded like a roaring fire.

Before they could continue, Pathiel used the last of his strength to break apart their attempt. In one swoop, he grabbed a piece of the metal, sent energy into it, and sliced the net. Before long, he was being blasted by the Galaxian's guns. He brought his shield up, and the spherical shape was the only thing protecting him from being captured.

Pathiel knew they couldn't kill him, but they were close to knocking him out and taking him away. He didn't want to take any chances. The Galaxians were constantly evolving, something that made them an effective operation of soldiers. Each one was given a ridiculously powered suit and trained to harness that power. Some became so in tune with their suit, they refused to remove it, and it became another layer of skin.

A blast broke through the wall, and he moved to repair it when another hole was created behind him. His defences were failing slowly with each passing second. He shut his eyes, and in one last attempt, he sent out a powerful surge straight from his core.

_He screamed, loudly._

Patton shut his mouth when he found himself sitting on something soft. It was his bed. His breathing was heavy from such a nightmare. He reached over to turn on his lamp, picking up his glasses from where he knew he set them. Bad dream. That was all it was.

He managed to get his breathing under control with a familiar practice, counting in his head. He picked up his phone and checked the time, blinking tiredly at the 6:12 am that shone back. At least it wasn't 3 am like many times before. He checked his calendar for the day to see if he had anything planned. He had lunch with Roman, but other than that, he was okay to rest a bit more.

Patton moved his phone back to his nightstand and laid back down. He was okay. It was just a bad dream.

He didn't know who Pathiel was. He felt distant to the person in his dreams. He should call them nightmares with how scared he woke up. He stayed with his thoughts until 7 am. His alarm went off, which he turned off with a tap. He sat up, stretching to the ceiling before he got out of bed. He slipped on his kitten-themed slippers and nabbed an oversized t-shirt thrown on his desk chair.

Patton pulled it over his head, yawning as he made his way to his kitchen. He grabbed out a pan for bacon and eggs and pouted when he noticed he was low on eggs. He'd have to get some later. Might as well use the rest now. Patton went into his routine for breakfast. His phone pinged around 7:35 am, and he checked the incoming message from Roman.

_ Romantic Ro: So I may have freaked out and invited the cute boy to lunch with us _

Patton had to think for a moment. Which one was that? Roman tended to bounce from crush to crush.

_ Patty Patton: Is that dark stormcloud or sunglasses? _

_ Romantic Ro: Sunglasses was last summer _

_ Romantic Ro: Pay attention dear, love is fleeting _

Patton put his phone down as he moved the bacon and eggs to a plate. He hissed as he touched the hot pan, dropping it in the sink. He stuck his finger in his mouth. He knew he should check it out and take care of his finger, but he'd burnt himself on pans enough to know running it under cold water was all it took to fix it. He moved the plate to the kitchen island with the working hand, picking up a fork and knife before sitting down.

After sending a reply, he started eating.

_ Patty Patton: Dark stormcloud it is _

_ Patty Patton: I don't mind :) _

_ Romantic Ro: Thank you, you beautiful man :) _

Patton giggled and sent a heart back. He was lucky to have a best friend like Roman. Normally his overly affectionate personality was a bit too much for people, but Roman had always taken it in stride and delivered just as much love back.

When Patton finished, he placed his plate in the sink for his nighttime dish routine and got ready for the day. All thoughts of the dream were gone.

* * *

_ Romantic Ro: I'm here with stormcloud where are you? _

_Romantic Ro: Heads up, he brought a friend_

_ Patty Patton: On my way _

Patton quickly paused the movie playing, turned off his phone and got up excitedly. He grabbed his shoulder bag and shoved his keys, wallet and phone inside. He shut the door of the small house behind him and made his way down the street. The bakery wasn't far, so he didn't need to plague Mother Earth with any toxic gas.

He greeted his neighbour who was watering their garden and gave generous pats to the dog barking at the fence. He adjusted his woven sweater to sit more comfortably on his shoulders, shielding his eyes from the spring sun as he spotted his favourite bakery up ahead.

The air felt cooler in the bakery. It rolled over his cheeks and made him shiver slightly as he adjusted. He easily found Roman at a booth for four and made his way over.

"Patty, my dear!" Roman greeted happily at the sight of his friend. He got up to hug him, which Patton returned gladly. Roman always had the warmest hugs. The type that went right to his core and filled him with passion.

"Hey, Ro," he noticed the other man present, sitting in the booth, "Who's this?"

The man held out a hand covered by fingerless gloves, "Sup, I'm Virgil." He guessed this was the 'dark stormcloud,' with the black eyeliner, eyeshadow, and generally emo appearance.

Patton eyed the sarcastic smirk that seemed to be permanently resting on his lips. Despite the relaxed aura he seemed to put forward, Patton knew how to spot the signs of nervousness. He shook Virgil's hand with a kind and inviting smile.

"I'm Patton. Or Patty, Patto, Pattern, Patterooni - anything works as long as it's appropriate!" Patton sang and he sent Roman a look, something that made him snicker. He sat down beside Roman, the man moving to let him sit before shuffling closer. Their arms touched, and throughout their conversation, they gave light, friendly bumps to each other with grins.

Virgil seemed to notice and raised an eyebrow. To him, they acted very coupley, "I thought you said you were single, Ro-boy."

Roman scoffed, "First off, lame nickname. Second off, I am," he turned to Patton dramatically, "This puffball is the light of my life, the one who continues to keep me alive with his smile alone!" he snatched up his friend's hand who was giggling away, "My dearest friend of epic proportions, you are my lifeblood!"

"Wow. Okay. I think I get it now. You were born in the Shakespearean age, and have come to haunt us for misusing his words," Virgil drawled, resting a cheek on his hand. His deep brown eyes sparkled in mischief, smirk still present.

Roman grinned and leaned closer, the same spark in his honey eyes, "At least I can say 'photosynthesis' without stumbling."

Virgil spluttered before biting back, "Hey! It's a hard word!"

Patton was frowning to himself, muttering the word to himself. He failed miserably a few times before finally getting it, grinning wide at his accomplishment. Virgil attempted once accidentally while trying to wiggle from the subject. When he failed, he gave up immediately, covering his embarrassment behind a snarky comment. Roman continued to say 'photosynthesis,' in as many ways as he could, even singing it once or twice.

A new presence joined the table. Patton looked up to the confused man setting down plates of baked goods for himself and Virgil, "Why are you guys repeating 'photosynthesis?'" He wore a sweater vest with a casual tie, everything in dark colours, and kept neat.

"Ah, Logan! I'm happy to hear you can speak English," Roman proclaimed. Patton was amused by his friend's antics, the stranger, Logan, sitting down next to Virgil. They kept their distance, but it seemed to be out of deep, mutual respect.

"Watch it, princess," Virgil shuffled his meat pie closer to him, fork pointing at Roman's head, "I can take your voice easily, like Ursula to Ariel."

"Didn't take you for a Disney fan, but kinky," Roman commented.

Patton smacked his arm lightly, "Roman!"

"What?! It is!"

"Keep it in your pants, young man. You're in public," Patton scolded. Roman found himself pouting at the wall with his arms crossed as Virgil laughed. Logan looked amused at what had occurred.

"I believe we haven't met," Logan started, as Virgil began to calm down, "I'm Logan."

Patton immediately replied with his practised greeting, "I'm Patton! Or Patty, Patto, Pattern, Patterooni - anything works as long as it's appropriate!"

Logan blinked at all the options, "Right, I'll stick to 'Patton,' then."

"Pat-fect!"

Virgil leaned forward to the shortest of the group with a grin, "You're now 'Pat' to me, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"What?!" Roman, who had been watching the exchange with a scheming smile, shot up with an indignant expression, "How come you can come up with a perfectly normal nickname for him, but continue to torture me with 'princess?!'"

"Because I like watching you explode in anger," Virgil batted his eyes innocently, and Roman resorted to sending him a death glare.

Logan, who had been eating calmly, spoke up, "'Roman' has a lot of potential for endearing nicknames-"

"Like 'Ro,' 'Ro-Ro,' 'Rolo,'" Patton started listing on his fingers, "And my favourite! 'Romantic Roman!'"

Logan couldn't resist the smile, "Alliteration. That's brilliant."

Patton giggled and Roman gasped, pulling his friend to his chest. He sent an offended look to the man sitting adjacent to him, "How dare you try to win over my friend's heart without my blessing!"

"Ro!" Patton squirmed out of his friend's arms, "I'm an adult, I don't need you to-"

"But my beautiful soulmate, it's bro-code!"

"...Are my ears deceiving me or did you just call him 'my beautiful soulmate?'" Logan looked confused once again, "I was not aware you two were in a relationship."

Virgil pushed his plate aside. He quickly answered before Roman could re-enact a platonic version of the Titanic, "Yes, he did. And no, they're not dating. You'll get used to this."

Patton poked Roman's side who squeaked. He immediately flushed red in embarrassment, and Virgil didn't help, teasing him for the sound. Roman snapped with a playful bite of clever words. Soon, the two were in a battle of comebacks. Patton watched to make sure it was friendly before Logan caught his attention.

"So, Patton," Logan had finished his food, looking all too professional with his hands linked on the table. He seemed to have stacked his and Virgil's plate, both between the two with equal distance on either side, "I'm curious. How long have you and Roman known each other?"

Patton grabbed the collar of his sweater, rubbing at it as he answered, "About a year now?" He grinned wide, and he reminisced slightly, "It was... a moment."

"I'm not sure I get it."

Patton motioned the other forward as if he was about to tell a big secret. Logan watched the childish antics with a raised eyebrow before he gave in, dipping slightly, "He was stuck in a tree. Apparently, he had tried to impress a guy with his athletic skills."

Roman was still locked in a hissing match with Virgil and didn't notice the affectionate gaze he got from Patton.

Logan laughed lowly, something that made Patton smile, "Why am I not surprised?"

"He really tried, too. He got halfway up before he realised the guy had walked away. I don't think they were hitting it off anyways."

"Again, not surprising," Logan moved back and stated in a rather forward fashion, "But, enough about him, tell me about you?"

Patton was stunned, but he quickly shrugged it off. Logan seemed to be someone who went straight to the point. He couldn't fault him for that. His boss was the same.

"What would you like to know?"

Logan hummed thoughtfully, "I've read favourite colours are an important question."

Patton nearly laughed, but he didn't want to offend the guy. He seemed so professional and well put together, yet he had a lot of moments that showed a very dorky side. He found it rather interesting how quickly Logan switched from one to the other.

"Blue."

"Fascinating, but not uncommon. Blue is a very popular choice."

"Really?" Patton was genuinely surprised, "Huh, I didn't know that."

Logan looked proud of himself. He continued with a push of his glasses, "Supposedly, the colour has a calming effect on the psyche. While red has a jarring look to it, blue is familiar, due to it being above and around us every day."

Patton had listened intently, chin propped up by a hand with the other rubbing his sweater collar, "Where'd you learn this?"

"Google. And by observation," Logan replied, rather sheepishly, "I've noticed people gravitate to blue-accented companies more than others."

"Is that why social media is so popular these days?"

Logan didn't roll his eyes at his question, or laugh. He smiled with a tilt of his head, "I'm pretty sure people just like the internet, Patton."

"Well, yeah. But, aren't the majority of sites, and apps blue themed? And the ones that aren't are more... poppy with all those different colours, right?" Patton had explained his thought process with a questioning tone. He was always unsure about speaking his mind around others as he tended to think differently. He could almost see the gears in Logan's head working.

Logan then looked impressed, and very intrigued, "I've never thought about like that. That's... actually a smart consideration."

Patton told himself not to take it personally, grinning through the sting, "Thank you?"

Logan took out his phone and started typing without warning. Patton blinked at the odd behaviour. Virgil nudged Logan, and Patton realised he and Roman had stopped fighting about a minute ago to listen in.

"Dude, get off your phone and socialise."

"I'm researching this new information, Virgil," the bespectacled man mumbled back, now uninterested in the people around him. Patton couldn't deny he felt a bit ignored. He brushed it away and looked to what cheered him up the most: Roman.

"Finally done arguing?"

Roman grinned back cheekily, "For now," he then leaned in and dropped to a whisper, "What's your thoughts on the nerd?"

Patton frowned at the question, "He's... fine? Why?"

"My sweet Patton," Roman sighed. Patton knew that sigh. He had missed something.

"What?"

"The spark? Butterflies? Can you feel the love tonight? No?"

Patton connected the dots and suddenly felt sick. Was this lunch meet-up all Roman's big scheme to get him a date?

"Way to be a subtle matchmaker, Roman," Virgil gritted out with a completely unimpressed aura.

Patton grabbed his bag off the floor and stood up dizzily. He muttered a quick farewell, "It was nice meeting you both. Bye," before he continued to the door. He caught Virgil by surprise. Roman was immediately guilty. Logan was closed off, not showing anything. What did that mean? Did he know? Or was he just as confounded?

"Wait! Patty!"

Patton made it out the building, but Roman had caught up to him easily.

"Roman-"

"I know, I know," Roman moved when a stranger wanted to get into the bakery, and he pulled Patton out of the way gently, "I just wanted to-"

"You know me, Ro. You know how I... approach relationships," Patton prompted gently, and Roman nodded in understanding. His friend genuinely looked guilty. Roman had always been bad at keeping secrets, or acting undercover when it came to Patton. It's not like Patton was against meeting someone and eventually starting a relationship, but it took months. He needed time before he could start to develop romantic feelings for someone. Set-ups like this bugged him because they rushed him.

"I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy. I have you," Patton smiled, and Roman looked at him in awe.

"Okay. That's cute. But, I mean-" Roman paused and thought about his next words. Patton tightened his grip on his bag, braced for the worst, "Ever since we've been friends, I haven't seen you go on dates, or cuddle anyone at the movies, or, I don't know. You never talk about cute people, too. I know you're pansexual, which is valid, cupcake. But, I've never had those moments between us where we've-"

"Stayed up all night, gossiping about every single hot person in our life?" Patton finished for him.

"Yeah, that," Roman realised how ridiculous of an ask it was, wincing visibly. That was another thing he liked about Roman. No matter how big or small the problem was, he eventually told him. This was the first time Roman had tried to slip something concerning relationships past him. Sure, he'd snuck unhealthy snacks into Patton's house, stolen cookies whenever he'd visit, and even took one of Patton's many oversized t-shirts, but he never nudged him romantically. Roman valued his relationships above everything, and he prided himself on the ones he had. Communication was his constant companion, whether he liked it or not.

"Roman," Patton started, and Roman was all ears, "I appreciate the thought. Just don't do it again."

Roman nodded, a bit too enthusiastically, "Of course, sorry Patty. I really am."

Patton pulled his friend into a big make-up hug, "I'll find someone when I'm bready."

"Did you just-"

"Yep."

Roman laughed and squeezed his friend close, relieved he wasn't mad at him, "Never change."

Patton then pulled back with a wide grin, "Would it be too awkward to go back in there and explain?"

"I'm sure Logan won't be too mad. If he even gets mad. The guy's like a robot. It's pretty scary."

Patton hummed, "But a cute robot."

"Hang on, I thought-"

"I'm not blind to attractive people, Ro," Patton playfully poked Roman's chest and his friend gasped.

"Are you telling me we could've been gossiping all this time and you never joined?!"

"Maybe. But, anything past agreeing is my limit."

Roman huffed and said no more. Patton spotted Virgil and Logan walking out of the bakery and grinned. He still liked new friends. Virgil appeared to be fine with the events that happened. He found them and made his way over, but Patton knew better than to assume he felt fine. He could see Virgil was concerned by the quick pace. As soon as the pairs met up, surprisingly, Logan was the first to speak.

"It appears we've got an awkward situation on our hand."

"You think, nerd?"

"Of course I think. How else would I survive?" Logan shot back at Roman. Patton almost laughed, but he remained silent.

"Logan. I..." Patton trailed off and waved his hand. Logan sighed, and he seemed to gain a softer stance.

"Patton, while you don't seem like you'd be a terrible romantic partner-"

"Wow. Thanks-"

"Let me finish," Logan stated, putting a hand up. Patton started rubbing at his collar again as the taller man continued, "I'm not looking for a relationship, something I'm sure I've told Virgil many times," he shot the mentioned man a murderous glare, who backed off with his hands raised, "But, you seem like a beneficial friend. So, I'd like to extend an offer- no, hang on," Patton wondered when he'd stop talking, so he could say he understood. Maybe this was Logan's nervousness peeking through? Long and boringly put together sentences, "Would you accept my offer of a mutual friendship?"

"My gosh, yes," Patton finally replied, "I could always use more friends to spoil," he grinned in excitement.

"Excellent," Logan sighed in relief. The majority of the tension was gone, "But, I have boundaries."

"Let me guess, no physical touch?"

"Precisely. Please restrain from impulsive touching. I've noticed you do that a lot with Roman," Logan tilted his head to the said man currently sending a snarky reply back to Virgil. They were listening, but whenever the two were together, it seemed like they loved getting into some friendly banter.

"No problem. I know most don't do that as much as us," Patton's smile kept getting wider. This was better than he expected.

"...Is this the part where we exchange numbers?" Logan asked rather shyly. He was such an interesting guy.

Patton shrugged in response, but kept himself open, "If you want."

Roman moved an arm over Patton's shoulders, pulling him close, "If you two are exchanging the digits, we need to start a group chat."

"Is this compulsory for a new friendship?"

Virgil piped up. The distance between him and Logan made sense now, "Nah, it's mainly for groups of friends that get along."

"Oh."

"We're doing it," Roman stated, phone already in one hand as he used his thumb to create a chat, "Patty-Cake, added. Stormcloud, added. Mystery Nerd, added. Time for a starting message-"

"We don't need narration, princess," Virgil interrupted with an eyebrow raised. Patton was focused on the nickname Roman read out loud.

"'Patty-Cake...' Why hadn't I thought of that?"

"I'm guessing 'Mystery Nerd' is me?" Logan looked unimpressed, "What's with the fascination in calling me a nerd?"

Roman hummed, finishing the starting message with a single thumb and slipped his phone into his jean's pocket, "Because you talk with big words and think you're better than everyone else?"

"Please," Logan rolled his eyes, "I don't think I'm better than everyone else. I know I am."

"Dodged a bullet there, Patton," Roman swayed his friend under his arm. Virgil crossed his arms, prepared to fight for his friend, but Patton spoke up before he could.

"Confidence is key, Roman," Patton teased, tongue sticking out playfully. Roman gasped loudly and launched into a speech about betrayal. Virgil made his sarcastic contributions to the dramatic flailings of the man the best he could. Logan stood his distance away from the action but eyed them all warmly. His smile was unable to stay off his lips.

Patton felt better already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Virgil: Sir, that's my emotional support nerd


	2. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two brothers reunite and four friends hang out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, there's going to be constant editing done to every chapter I post, soooo, fun...
> 
> Pronunciation (clap out the syllables if it helps):  
Kolloid: Ko-loyd  
Gard: said as 'guard'  
Remiel: Rem-me-el  
Octobiel: Oc-toe-be-al
> 
> Warnings: hints at experimentation and torture (not shown).

Langreon was alive for another day. They'd won in taking the Jargur's territory but lost in wiping them all out. The unknown species possessed some type of teleportation ability, and they took all the living Jargurs away. The Galaxian Expanse managed to secure five of those odd individuals for experimentation. This was the time where they'd come up with upgrades and work on improvements until the next battle.

Langreon was thrown to matted ground harshly. He groaned in pain, suit disabled for this exercise. He moved to get up, rolling to avoid a punch from his trainer, Kolloid.

"Your head's in the clouds, Case. What's your brilliant brain thinking?"

"The species we found-" he moved past the oncoming kick, sliding with it, and locking Kolloid in his arms, "Have we identified them?"

Kolloid twisted in his hold, "Easily," he gripped Langreon and threw him to the ground again, pinning his arm at his throat, "Three of them answered everyone's questions. They seem like a naive race, which means a forceful extraction wasn't really necessary. Two are silent all around."

Langreon thought of a way out of this hold. He hooked his legs around Kolloid and, instead of rolling, he kicked up, managing to get Kolloid by surprise, and switching positions to hold the trainer down.

"So, who are they?"

"You'll be briefed with the others, Case," Kolloid narrowed his eyes, not moving to get away, "And I know you. Don't go abusing your status, and messing with the process."

Langreon couldn't hold back a smirk, "The Rinan gave us powerless lights, and you know who studied them, right?"

They both knew Langreon was the one who developed the first successful prototype for their suit's 'glow' setting, and many more. He was a balanced mix of the perfect soldier and innovative scientist.

"I'm aware," Kolloid stated, clearly unimpressed. His knee hit Langreon, and a punch to his chest sent him flying to the opposite wall.

Langreon wheezed from the impact, "Thought we said no suits?" He climbed to his feet with support from the wall, cradling his side which he knew would be bruised, along with his back. Kolloid had flipped to his feet with his suit pulsing lightly, signifying it had been enabled.

"If you get stranded without a suit, and need to fight one of your own," Kolloid trailed off with a pointed look, letting Langreon finish his words silently.

Langreon scoffed with a playful smile, making his way back over, "You just didn't want to admit defeat."

"There is no defeat in training. Each mistake has a lesson to it."

"Did you get that from a wisdom straw?"

"Case."

Langreon grabbed his metal bottle, "I know. You learn from your failures, and all that. You've told me so many times now," the soldier was about to activate the training room door when a hand gripped his shoulder to stop him.

Kolloid tsked when Langreon didn't jump to defend himself, "You should always be alert. Even if the session is over."

Langreon shrugged off his hand, touching the pad to open the door, "I'm tired," he exited with a salute, "See you tonight," and headed to the showers.

Langreon was contracted to the station for the next year, and the five unknown species were kept in the same area. It had more researchers than soldiers, the latter mainly for defences and emergency dispatches if anything goes down in their designated section.

The way he worked was flexible due to his extensive set of skills. He was part of an attack team for the Galaxians, but he had a gift. He seemed to know how to take a species' abilities, adapt it, and pack it into the Galaxian's well-known suits, and these suits were assigned to every soldier in the Expanse.

It essentially hacked deep into the souls of wearers and changed their prowess. It let them jump higher, carry more, run faster, _ do _more, all in one suit. It was the strength of ten compacted into one. It had taken years of constant development for the suit to reach the stage it was at now. And, to completely learn how to control all that power, soldiers trained for years to fully integrate the suit into their instincts. Langreon had mastered it along with the rest of his team.

However, Langreon was ambitious. He wanted to take his mind to a whole new level. Instead of leaving it at his physical strength, Langreon spent the beginning of his prime studying everything he could. It got to a point where high command took notice. Now, he was a part-time scientist to the station he currently lived on. Langreon didn't want to leave behind the suit, so he struck a deal. His ideas and mind belonged to the Galaxians, and he could keep his soldier status and the suit.

Langreon flopped back on the bed in his quarters after throwing his towel in the laundry chute and getting changed. He rested his hand on his stomach and shuffled to fluff his pillow, holding it under his head. He couldn't stop thinking back to the unknown species. The teleportation ability would be tremendously valuable to their suits if he could learn what powered it. If it was biological, he'd have a harder time, but he wouldn't give up so easily.

Langreon sprung from his bed, already restless. In about ten minutes, he travelled down the corridors, into the research sector, and towards the first containment space. He passed many guards, and others along the way, but they knew of Langreon's scientist pass to let him go. Plus, they didn't want to anger the high command in case he was there for a reason. He spotted a familiar researcher by the name of Gard, standing outside the containment cage, smiling at the red-skinned scientist.

"Langreon?" Gard frowned at the sight of him in the research sector, "What are you doing here?"

"I want to know what these species are, so, here I am," Langreon shrugged as if disregarding his trainer's words weren't an issue enough.

"I would tell you to get lost, but you're not _ really _ breaking any rules," Gard muttered, and they continued to jot down something on their screenboard.

Langreon grinned and moved closer to the scientist to peer at it, "So, who are they?"

"They call themselves 'angels,'" Gard explained, "And their teleportation ability? They say it's how they, 'get back home.'"

The soldier hummed in thought. He poked the screenboard to bring up the vitals of an angel, currently in the room next to them, "And what did it take for you to get this information from them?" he chuckled when Gard slapped his hand away with an unknown, possibly native to them, swear.

"Don't touch my stuff," they hissed before typing in a code to open the door, "They're cooperative, but two of them can't. Their voices have been locked away by some... outside force."

Langreon stared at the angel on the other side of the room. His wings were locked together by large ties, but the crown remained frim on its head. Possibly irremovable as they tended to replace accessories and clothes with the Galaxian's containment outfits.

Nothing was between them, but Langreon knew sensors were present. If a subject moved past them, they'd be hit by their weakness. For these angels, it was a constant stream of electricity. The angels seemed to be immune to quick strikes, but anything more then that was overloading.

"Remiel, hello," Gard greeted and passed the screenboard to Langreon. The soldier began to read up on everything they've learnt so far as the scientist spoke.

This one, Remiel as it called itself, was one of the verbal ones. He was marked as sassy and hard to talk to, but he was easier compared to the rest. Remiel seemed to ask for another angel, Pathiel, a lot. Langreon noticed they had another verbal one who claimed to be 'Pathiel' - a sassy one who seemed to use morals to sway his 'interrogators.' He was being tested for the mental portion of the species.

They didn't have to worry about the angels disappearing on them. They all had a device in what was called their 'core.' It was located where Langreon's heart would be. It's designed to mimic an anchor for creatures and keep them on the physical plane in one area, also doubling as a tracking device. He'd read up on it before he became known.

"Where's Pathiel?"

Langreon turned to Gard who went silent for a moment, "Can you tell us about heaven?"

"Why do you want to know?" Remiel sassed, and the angel's eyebrow raised.

"We want to understand."

Remiel scoffed in disbelief, "Understand? Can you understand I want to see my goddamn brother?"

Langreon frowned at the mention of 'God.' This species must be connected to Earth with all the angel, heaven and god-talk.

"I understand, but we don't know who-"

"Don't try this again," Remiel's lip curled in a snarl, "We can feel our energies from miles away. You and this whole place are covered in his, along with Octobiel, Cassiel and Samael," Remiel flicked his eyes over the two, "You're lucky those devices work or your souls would be ripped from your body and given to death."

"Interesting," Gard held out their hand out to Langreon, the soldier giving their screenboard over without words. The scientist began to tap in the new information about 'energies' as Langreon watched Remiel. The angel was staring right back.

"Is this your assistant?"

"This is Case, a soldier and innovator," Gard answered, looking up from their screenboard, "How does your military work?"

"How about I _ don't _tell you that, and you let me see my brother?" Remiel growled, his hands tightening at his sides. Langreon eyed him, stepping closer to the scientist in case Remiel lunged. He knew about the sensors, but he wasn't taking any chances.

Gard was silent, but they looked considerate, "If I let you see your brother, would tell us everything about your species?"

"No," Remiel stated blankly and sat back on the seat jutting out from the wall, "But I may be more willing to explain our diet."

Gard was thinking about it, and Langreon couldn't believe it. Gard was the best at getting information about unknown species in a non-violent way. Langreon'd never watched them work, but now he knows.

"Five semturns."

"Is that seconds or minutes?" Remiel looked genuinely confused, standing up. Gard showed their watch to the angel and they began comparing times and translations. Langreon hoped a chat with Gard outside would make the scientist realise how risky it was, putting two subjects together.

* * *

Pathiel was surprised when he was told to get up. He'd come to accept he'd be hooked to machines for the rest of his life. They have prodded his reaction times, his reflexes and ability to to read and write. They knew when he was lying or avoiding the truth. They had leverage above him, and he hated it.

He was a test subject. He was stuck here on this station until he could contact his family. He knew as soon as his Father found out where he was, he'd come for him.

"What is happening?" Pathiel asked, but he knew he wouldn't get a reply. His wrists were placed in thick metal cuffs and before long, he was being moved down a hall. The guard with him didn't speak all the way to a door similar to his cage. Two people stood outside, locked in a heated argument. One of the voices seemed... familiar.

"You know the risks and you're still doing it?!"

"We need information about them, and if this is the only way to gain it, we will comply, dargoin!"

"Don't call me that-"

"Scientist Gard?" Pathiel's guard questioned, and the two looked over to the pair. One had a flat board with an illuminated screen, and the other had dark clothes with no unique defining features.

"Thanks, Nick," the screen holder turned to Pathiel, "Hello, Pathiel. I'm Gard, a scientist."

Pathiel realised where he'd heard the voice from. Gard must've been one of many who'd hooked him up to everything.

"We've met..."

"This is Case, a soldier and scientist. He'll be here in case-"

"We attempt to rip your soul from your body and give it to death?" Pathiel recited, and the signal to his Father was boosted, something that was close to making him smile. From the strength he felt of it, four of them had said it or some variation to it. He wasn't sure who was in the building, but he felt them close by. Gard hummed and became interested in the screen in their hand.

The guard gave Pathiel a warning glare. Threatening people wasn't accepted here, who knew?

"Why am I here?"

"Remiel has been asking for you."

Pathiel's eyes lit up, and that was his only outward reaction. He was admittedly happy to hopefully see his brother again. He was even happier knowing that as soon as they'd touch, they'll have the possibility to create a psychic link.

"Follow me," Gard opened the door beside them, and Case moved in first. Pathiel followed the scientist as requested, and the guard stayed in the door as it closed them in.

Remiel looked up as soon as they came in, and a wave of happiness hit them both.

"Pathiel," he breathed.

"Remiel, by the luck of Father, I thought I'd never see you again," Pathiel stepped forward but a hand on his arm stopped him.

Case glanced between the two, "No physical contact, and no funny business. Gard?" He looked to the red-skinned being who was tapping at the screen they held.

"Right. Now for some questions."

* * *

"What was your last Christmas like?" Roman read from the empty candy wrapper, the sweet in his mouth. Patton watched him bunch up the wrapper and attempt to throw it in his Disney themed bin. The paper bounced off the side and onto the floor, Roman muttering a censored swear.

"You don't wanna know," Virgil smirked, eyes trained on the candy he was unwrapping.

Roman whined, "No! That's not how it works!"

"We ask a question and everyone answers, Virgil," Patton explained, and the dark stormcloud rolled his eyes with a huff.

"Fine."

"They can't physically force you to answer. Not without breaking a few laws."

"Hah!"

"Logan," Roman growled, glaring at the nerd, "He was about to tell us."

Logan pushed his glasses up and popped a piece of muesli bar into his mouth, "Not before violating his privacy - something I value more than your silly questions."

"Don't speak with your mouth full, Logan."

"It's technically only an eighth-"

"Don't sass me, mister, especially with your mouth full," Patton crossed his arms, and Logan turned his gaze down to avoid those feisty blue eyes.

It seemed Patton was like a second parent to everyone, reminding them to be kind and respectful. Logan knew he should mind someone telling him how to act, but Patton seemed to know the right times to scold them and never went too far. Although, eating with his mouth full was gross, regardless of who it was.

"Sorry."

"Last Christmas, anyone?" Roman glanced around, expecting the newest members to answer. Patton raised his hand, and his friend shook his head, "No. I know what yours was like. I was there."

Virgil leaned forward to tap Patton on the nose, eliciting a giggle, "We don't. Go ahead, Pat."

"Well," Patton pulled the sulking Roman down to his side, his friend instinctively wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "Roman came over and stayed the entire week. It was fun!"

"I brought the alcohol and the salad, because, lord knows, our puffball doesn't eat enough greens," Roman grinned, "Meanwhile, he made the baked yummies and brought his beautiful self," he poked Patton's forehead, the smaller man prodding his side in retaliation. He jumped away from him a little and Patton snickered, the two friends as close as can be.

"You guys got drunk? I'd love to see that," Virgil shuffled to cross his legs on the floor.

Everyone was in a circle in Roman's living room, a pile of candy in the middle. Logan had a muesli bar to snack on, as this particular type of candy was a bit too sweet for him. It was a quiet Sunday. It was one of the few times all four of them were off work and free to get together.

"Roman did, but I don't drink," Patton looked to his friend fondly, Roman hiding his face in embarrassment. He pleaded Patton to not tell them, but his friend continued, "For half an hour, he was reciting Shakespeare at me. Then he got a hold of my sticky notes and wrote little messages everywhere around the house. I still find some folded in corners or in-between places."

Virgil eyed Roman who was still hushing Patton, "Why are you embarrassed at that? It's _so_ sweet - it makes me want to cry at the realisation that I will never feel the affection of another man in my life."

The three blinked in surprise at the sudden words. Virgil was smirking though and had sarcastically said it all, so the three weren't sure if he was serious or not.

"Well then," Roman muttered, no longer embarrassed and trying to act casual as he grabbed another piece of candy.

"What?" Virgil raised an eyebrow before snickering, "Mother raised me as an honest child."

Patton wanted to combat his words, but closed his mouth, unsure of his approach. Roman was avoiding the topic, unwrapping another candy. Logan, however, was pinching the bridge of his nose, glasses riding up his forehead.

"Virgil," Logan sighed out, fixing his glasses back to their proper position, "I like to think I give you the proper affection necessary to remain happy."

"Guys, I'm joking," Virgil furrowed his brows, hands coming up to grip his arms nervously, "I'm not that ungrateful."

"Oh," Patton mumbled, "I was worried for a second there."

"Ah, don't worry-"

Patton placed a hand on the shoulder of his nervous friend, "We worry because we care."

Virgil flushed red and hunched his shoulders, "Yeah, well... whatever, okay."

Surprisingly, Roman didn't complain or pipe up with a snarky comment. He'd locked eyes with Virgil, and Patton watched as they shared a moment of understanding. Then, Virgil threw his empty candy wrapper at Roman's head.

Roman gasped loudly at the assault to his beautiful face, "How dare you!"

"Sorry, princess, thought you were the trashbin for a second," Virgil shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips.

Logan looked back and forth between the two before joining in, "I can see how you could mistake his face for the trash."

They shared a rare high five. Virgil put his hand up, and Logan debated what the emo wanted before slapping his hand lightly.

Roman flopped on top Patton, hand to his forehead, "Woe is me! Nobody appreciates the beauty bar I rise for this group!"

Patton struggled under the weight of his friend, eventually moving so Roman was across his lap, the man still grasping at the air. He put his hand in his dramatic friend's hair, smiling down at him, "I'd say your personality is candy for new friends."

Nobody got the pun for a few minutes. Roman had looked smug, not completely knowing about Patton's cleverness, and Virgil started to say a comeback when Logan spoke up.

"'Candy,'" Logan waved a hand at the pile, "He meant 'handy.'"

"How come Logan's always the first to guess Patton's puns?" Virgil commented, grabbing another piece just as Roman did, which started a tug-a-war. The emo was victorious with a hiss, startling Roman back into Patton's lap.

"It's because he's a nerd," Roman finally answered with a glare, picking out another piece. Patton resumed petting Roman's hair now that his friend had returned.

Logan looked up from his phone with an unimpressed expression, "Again with the 'nerd' nickname?"

"It's classy."

"You wouldn't mind 'prep' then if we're reverting to high school clichés."

Roman tapped the bottom of Patton's chin in slight disinterest, tickling the other slightly and causing him to giggle, "I'll have you know, I was a brilliant theatre kid."

"Loud and obnoxious - sounds like the Roman we all know and love," Virgil grinned. Immediately the two were locked in a battle of comebacks. Patton tried the best he could to style Roman's hair back to its original way with his constant movement. Roman began to relax with the fingers combing through his hair. He even slipped into his native language a few times throughout their snark.

"Patton," Logan moved closer, phone at the ready, "If I could have your attention, I need a second opinion."

"Me?" Patton tilted his head away in confusion, "I don't think I'm the best to ask-"

"Pardon me, but this is a matter of cupcakes. You seem to be the most knowledgeable here when it comes to baking."

"Oh!" Patton chirped, instantly smiling, "What is it-"

He was interrupted by Roman launching at Virgil to tickle him, his weight suddenly off Patton's lap with a rush of cold air. The emo kept a straight face, clearly unamused by his terribly, sad attempt before reversing it onto Roman. The man instantly crumpled into a fit of giggles and soon they were wrestling. Once Patton and Logan were sure the two weren't killing each other, Patton turned back to the taller man.

"What's up?"

"My team and I have planned an event for my store, but we're stuck on the kinds of cupcakes to get. We don't have any experience in baking cakes, and would normally go with cookies, but there's rising popularity to cupcakes, particularly with younger generations, and, well, it's kind of," Logan waved his hand, and Patton was trying to decide whether or not to interrupt. He'd learnt pretty quickly that Logan hated when others cut him off or spoke over him, so Patton sat there as Logan continued to flounder anxiously, "Well, it's obvious to go with the cupcake option. Talyn suggested a space theme? Maybe with a blue box thrown in? Joan's thinking some weird coyote being, Clash or something, we don't know what to go for, so I'm here, asking you.

"You were the first to come to mind. I remember you said you wanted to own a bakery for a long time? Plus, you love bringing baked treats to cheer people up, and this all makes you the obvious choice. Plus you have this cute, soft appealing way of moving, dressing and acting, which is inviting and we need that for this event. So, what do you think? Any opinions?"

Patton sat there for a long time processing the wave of words. Logan didn't look out of breath, in fact, he was content to stare at his phone, scrolling through something. When Patton didn't answer for a few seconds, he looked up, deep blue eyes confused.

"Patton?"

"Right, yeah, cupcakes," Patton moved his head in tiny shakes, taking a deep breath before pausing, "Hang on, did you just call me 'cute' and 'soft?'"

Logan frowned before he looked away, seemingly thinking over his words. His brows relaxed when he found his answer and they met eyes, "Yeah, I did. Is it not true?"

Patton held back the blush at the compliment, eyes glancing to Roman who was laying beside Virgil, laughing. If that came from Roman or Virgil, he'd giggle and move on, but for some odd reason, Logan's words held more impact. In the past few weeks, he'd never gotten a compliment from Logan, just facts and long messages. He's never heard Logan compliment anyone besides Virgil before, and he was flattered. But very... conflicted.

Patton hummed, moving away from that mess of emotions, "Right, cupcakes, uh, okay."

Logan seemed to process what was happening, having had time to move out of his nervous rambling mood, "Oh. Sorry, Patton, was that too forward?"

"No!" Patton might have said that a bit too enthusiastically, Logan's eyes widening as he leaned away cautiously, "Wait, no, I mean, I don't mind. Roman and Virgil compliment me all the time, it just caught me off guard coming from... you," he trailed off, unsure whether that could be taken as an insult. Logan didn't react negatively, but he reacted.

"My apologies," Logan mumbled, fingers scraping at his nape and eyes staring at the pile of candy, messed up thanks to the other pair rolling around, "It kinda came out, in all that... talking."

"I don't mind, Logan," Patton reassured, smiling softly, "If anything, I love compliments. They're amazing and kind, and helpful in the worst of times."

Logan looked up at that, surprised, "Worst of times? You..."

Patton shrugged, letting a few seconds pass in silence as he decided his words, "Everyone gets sad, Logan. I'm no different."

They locked eyes again, both full of blue in opposite shades. Patton wondered what Logan was cycling through. He found Logan's mind to be fascinating, compelling to him. The number of ideas and intricate words that came from him intrigued him. He wondered briefly how the man processed things.

They broke eye contact almost as soon as they created it.

Patton moved to grab another sweet for something to do, noticing the diminishing pile, "Alright, so, cupcakes. Where do you work again?"

"A fandom store in the mall," Logan answered, also keeping himself busy with his phone, "It's called, 'Fan's Domain.'"

Patton made a sound, thumbnail coming between his teeth for him to chew as he thought, "Any themes?"

"We all love space, and the environment?"

"Aww," Patton cooed, removing his nail to grin at Logan, "We love those who care about mother Earth."

"Funny you say that-" Logan paused, before shaking his head, "Never mind."

"No, tell me," Patton moved closer, and when Logan noticed, the smaller man realised his mistake and backed off, "Sorry, need space, right?"

Logan seemed to relax at that and explained, "I was going to explain how 'Mother Earth' had come into 'being.' But, it's... boring and I'd probably just talk you to sleep."

"What? No!" Patton tried his best to show his excitement, straightening up and staring intently, "I always love listening to you! Plus, I get to learn new things, and that's never boring."

He won't mention the way Logan explains things made more sense than the majority of his old teachers. Maybe it was the fact he radiated pure intelligence and wit everywhere he went and in every word he said. It was calming and inspiring.

Logan seemed to brighten at that and came a bit closer. A little, just a smidge, barely noticeable, but Patton could see Logan had started to become more comfortable with him. And, he was proud of him. He was not on the same level as Logan and Virgil, but it was a start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Langreon: I've only had Gard for a day and a half. But if anything happened to them, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.


	3. Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Langreon and Pathiel discuss who was right in the Jargur war before finding an odd child. Patton babysits and gets company. Parenting talks ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I call this the baby chapter...  
Also??? Thanks for all the love??? I started writing this blankly weeks ago and decided to just get it out there, so I'm glad it's actually interesting for some. Sorry for any mistakes or anything that prevents you from smooth reading. I am but a smol aussie with Grammar.ly as my uncertified beta. I'm also barely experienced with childern, so take that portion of the book with a grain of salt.  
This is where things pick up, so let's go.
> 
> Warnings: Briefly being stranded in space, mild violence when scared, threatening, child abandonment (or is it?), self-doubt about space wars

Langreon was tasked with watching the hall from and to the station's docks. Gard and his fellow scientists were hovering over the angels, writing every piece of information down they could get from a rare, joining experiment. He would've been allowed to join, but Kolloid was punishing him for ignoring his words.

They had to be prepared. Many rebels had snuck on the station in the past, nearly uprooting their operation entirely. The Galaxian Expanse was upgrading their security, especially since the last time. People had been injured, and their station lost a huge chunk of data.

Langreon could understand their caution, but the angels being together could yield interesting facts and he wanted to _ know. _

People started passing him, containers on wheels. Langreon had to watch them closely. They had already been checked by Kolloid and a few more Galaxians at the start of the docks, but they could never be too careful.

It was about an hour of boring unloading and keeping watch. Nothing was happening to note, and Langreon knew Gard would be having a much more interesting time with their subjects.

Langreon felt a yawn coming on, but before he could reach up to cover it, the alarms blared in his ears. All guards powered up their suits, and Langreon wished nonsensically that it was just a drill.

* * *

Pathiel stared at the continuous abyss in front of him. His lungs were closed, and he was running on the atmosphere connected to his home. His wings were tied, but at least his hands were free. He couldn't propel himself forward so he was stuck, stranded in space. The device was still buried deep inside, preventing him from returning home completely. He was truly alone.

The five had connected, and they had a plan talked out. They executed it perfectly, so why was the bond silent? Why was he alone? Why did they choose to shoot him out into space instead of keeping him close?

Pathiel was the only one who made it out. They had been caught when they were near freedom and his family decided one escaping would be better than none. He was thrown into space by their combined strength, leaving him without them.

Pathiel remembered what his Father told him about the precautions built into the angel's cores. Amongst the many things he gave them to protect them, one was made with their souls in mind. If they ever got stranded in deep space with no way home, their cores will take them to a familiar planet they feel most connected to. At least, until their Father could find them.

Pathiel only hoped the Galaxian's device didn't disrupt that function. He was lucky he could even breathe. Pathiel began to feel the slow crawl of his core lighting up, surrounding him in a blanket of security. If he was lucky, maybe that planet hadn't gone to hell since he was last there.

Something had gripped his arm in the empty vacuum of space, and he was pushed slightly at the momentum that followed. He caught a glimpse of a figure before white filled his vision, and he disappeared.

Pathiel hit a hard surface. He could hear another person grunt in pain and it took a few seconds of disorientation to realise sounds of nature were present too. He went to open his eyes before he quickly shut them. Something so _ warm_ and _ bright_ was everywhere around him. He blinked a couple of times to try and adjust.

Before Pathiel could come to his senses and check his surroundings, he was pulled to his feet forcefully and thrown against a rough wall.

"Where did you take me?!"

Pathiel blinked in surprise and managed to clear up his vision. Then, he was shaken and disorientated once again. When he was finally able to keep still, he could focus on who had him pushed against... a tree? Was he on Earth? It was now obvious to him, with the crumbling bark under his hand, the surrounding trees in his peripherals, and the bright green of the leaves.

The person, a soldier and scientist he recognised as Case, was gripping his shoulders, "Answer me. Where are we?"

"Earth," Pathiel jumped in shock when Case pressed an arm to his neck.

"Liar. Earth was destroyed by an asteroid-"

"That's what my Father told the universe," when he went to remove the arm, Case pushed harder with a murderous glare. Pathiel raised his hands. This man could kill him easily, and at this moment, Pathiel was too tired, weakened and disconnected to protect himself - and he was running out of air. He needed leverage, or maybe a reason for Case to release him, "I'll explain everything, but I won't be able to if I'm unconscious. Let me go."

Case complied, not after shoving him harshly. Pathiel breathed deeply, and the soldier took his gun from its fixed state on his hip, "Answer my questions and I won't shoot you right here," dangerous request but Pathiel wasn't in the place to argue, "How did we get here?" Case asked, and he kept himself posed to kill.

Pathiel placed a hand where his core is, "That would be my doing. If I get stuck in space, my core transports me to its favourite planet."

"Earth?" Case guessed, and he gave a judging sweep over the landscape, "All this place is, is dirt and plants. Not to mention the dominant lifeforms, ones that have large bodies and scales."

"Scales?" Pathiel resisted laughing. Dinosaurs hadn't been around for a long time, something the Galaxians didn't know. His Father was truely amazing at twisting stories and hiding the truth.

"Yes, they're terrifying beings, and the little ones aren't any better," Case stated before moving on, "Wait, favourite planet - meaning you've been here before?"

"With my family. We travel a lot."

"How many of you is there?" Case seemed to have a more wonder-filled tone then stern in his question. Pathiel reminded himself that Case may be a soldier, but he was also a scientist. He had hung around Gard and Remiel a lot, studying the angels alongside the others.

"A lot," that was all Pathiel was willing to say. They were still enemies.

A screech of laughter came from deep in the trees, and Pathiel instantly knew the sound was human. However, Case jumped and pointed his gun in the direction of the sound.

"You," Case had seen how Pathiel relaxed as he stayed tense, "You don't look worried. Was that one of those things?"

"Dinosaurs? No."

"Dinosaurs- what is that?" Case was back to pointing his gun at the angel, something Pathiel wished he would calm down with. He couldn't go anywhere. His wings were still tied, and he was practically defenceless to the smallest of wounds. Like a human. That was both scary, and sadly sweet.

"It's the species you were describing. That's what they call them."

"They?"

"Humans."

It occurred to Pathiel a little too late that he shouldn't be giving away information about this planet to a soldier in the Galaxian Expanse. If they went after Earth, his Father would never forgive him, and he wouldn't fault him for it. All angels had some fondness for planet Earth.

"I've heard about humans," Case trailed off before tensing, "Tell me everything. Now," Case threatened him more. Pathiel found himself willingly to die for this planet. It surprised him immensely, but also explained everything. His core took him to Earth because it _k__new _he adored the planet to the point of sacrificing everything for it.

"No. You'll tell the Expanse, and they'll destroy this planet for its territory."

Case glared, "We only get sent when planets declare war on us. Like the Jargurs."

Pathiel's eyes widened, and his jaw loosened, "What?!" he said in surprise. Did Case miss how the Jargurs declared independence only to get attacked by the Galaxians?

"We're not murderers, just protectors for-"

"The Jargurs did nothing wrong!" Pathiel's voice raised, catching the soldier by surprise.

Case clenched his teeth, face hardening, "Of course you'd say that. You were on their side."

"I was on the side of freedom! The Expanse slaughtered millions for their territory, all because they wanted to be an independent world."

"Our operation doesn't care if communities want to be independent."

"Then tell me why soldiers nearly wiped out the Jargurs in the name of the 'Galaxian Expanse,'" Pathiel said the title in a mockingly, whimsical way. Case stared at him with an unreadable expression. Another sound came from the forest, but this time, it was a wailing cry.

Pathiel felt his entire soul sink at the sound. Case was back to his normal hostile mood. The angel briefly wondered whether Case had contacted the Expanse before he came to his senses.

"Was that," Case jolted his head in the direction of the cry, pausing, "A human?"

Pathiel went to move when another wail came, but Case moved in front of him, gun still present. The angel's wings ruffled under the straps, clearly not pleased at someone getting in the way of him helping.

"Answer me."

"That is a _ child, _Case," Pathiel growled, and the soldier tensed at the codename being used by an 'enemy,' "I doubt even you, murderer, would leave an innocent child to cry."

"Don't-" Case cut himself off, and listened to the child cry harder. The soldier considered something before he lowered his gun, "You go first. And don't try anything funny."

Pathiel was willing to accept those terms if it meant getting to the human. He moved in the direction of the child's cries and Case followed with his gun. He had to slow down thanks to Case's insecurities, but he finally made it to the centre of the cries.

The child must've been barely a few months old, wiggling uncomfortably on the forest floor. It was surrounded by ashes, but Pathiel was more concerned about this baby being left in the middle of nowhere without clothes. What were the ashes about? Where were his parents?

"That's a human?" Case muttered, "But it looks like... why is it so tiny?"

"Again, he's only a child," Pathiel replied as he knelt, ignoring the ashes crunching under his knees. The baby quieted down when he started to shush him, his highly empathic core at work to assist him.

"He?"

Pathiel chose not to answer the soldier. He wasn't about to explain human anatomy. It was disgusting.

Pathiel scooped up the child and handled the human carefully, remaining knelt in the ashes. This human needed something to cover him from the elements. Pathiel glanced down at the uniform he wore - curtsey of the Galaxians and their need to identify him as a mere prisoner. He didn't care if he was considered a 'subject,' and no matter how decent they treated him, he knew the signs of a prisoner. Although, the outfit could come in handy for makeshift baby clothes. He was too weak to tear it, and he didn't have anything sharp.

Pathiel glanced over at Case who had moved closer and started studying the child, "Can you stop staring and help me out?"

Case blinked at him, "Help you?"

"Yes. We need something to wrap him up in. Humans are very fragile," Pathiel explained, but Case didn't move.

"Why should I? You're still my enemy."

"But this child isn't," Pathiel stood up with the human in his arms. The little human was grasping at the Galaxian symbol of his outfit, honey brown eyes wide. Case glanced between the pair, lingering on the child for a few seconds more.

"Fine."

Case moved closer to Pathiel, giving him a warning look. Pathiel remained still but jumped when Case activated a dagger from his belt. That amused the soldier.

"Sit down and give me your arms. I'll take the sleeves off."

Pathiel nodded and sat back down, but on a patch without ashes. Case followed and waited till the child was safe in the angel's lap. Pathiel outstretched an arm for access to the sleeve. Case cut the long sleeve from the outfit, and Pathiel had to resist moving in case he was accidentally harmed. He was giving a Galaxian solder so much trust, he could hardly believe it. Pathiel knew Case was a curious scientist too, and he seemed to be decent when he's not corrupted by the Expanse's lies. They also had similar interests in mind - they both didn't want to leave an innocent child alone.

"Is that enough?" Case held up the fabric after removing both sleeves, and Pathiel moved the child back into two arms. He nodded in response, and the two began to awkwardly create a makeshift wrap. They avoided touching each other as much as they could. Eventually, the child was at least dressed.

"Is that better?" Pathiel asked the little human, and he noticed Case's gentle brush over his tiny arm. The child stared at them both and grasped the angel's shirt. The two were stranded on Earth, and maybe taking up a child wasn't the best idea. At least, until they could find his parents. If he had any.

* * *

Patton woke up to the sound of a child crying loudly. He wasn't in his own home, the lack of his teddy bear collection reminded him of that. He jumped to his feet, grabbing his phone just in case, and quickly moved out of the guest room. He went down the hallway, and to the children's room where the crying originated from.

Patton was babysitting for a young pair who needed a couple's retreat. He wasn't hired to give parenting advice, so he only took the child and promised to take good care of her. Dahlia was in her crib, whining away and wiggling uncomfortably. Patton went to her side, and he started to shush the child the best he could.

When she wouldn't calm down, Patton picked her up gently and held her close. He handled her with ease. This was not the first time he'd babysat a young kid.

"Hey, sweetheart, hey," Patton murmured and he picked up her green pacifier as he moved to the lounge. He quickly checked for what may be bothering her, even checking the time for her scheduled feeding, and found nothing, but the possibility that she felt alone. He'd learnt quickly that Dahlia didn't like being alone. That was evident whenever he left the room.

Sure enough, Dahlia quieted down after a few minutes of hearing his heartbeat and stared at him innocently. He gave her the pacifier when she made grabby hands for it.

"I can't be mad at you for waking me. It is a lonely house," Patton mumbled and let her lay on his chest. His phone buzzed, and he slid it from the pocket of his pyjama pants. With the child lying peacefully on him, he opened his phone and checked the message from Logan.

_ Logical Lo: Are you awake? _

Patton typed back slowly with one hand, the other resting on Dahlia's back as she napped lightly.

_ Patty Patton: Mayyyybe, why are you? _

_ Logical Lo: I couldn't sleep. Are you still babysitting or is that over now? _

_ Patty Patton: Still babysitting _

_ Patty Patton: Dahlia woke me up, she gets lonely, bless her heart <3 _

Patton smiled at the small baby resting with the occasional squirm. He'll have to move her back to her crib soon.

_ Logical Lo: Would it be too much trouble for me to join you tomorrow morning? Virgil is busy on a 'not-date' with Roman, and it'd be nice to see you. _

_ Patty Patton: I don't see why not _

_ Patty Patton: As long as you're aware there will be a child present _

_ Logical Lo: How dare. I'm not Roman with his random bursts of obnoxious singing. _

_ Patty Patton: I know! _

_ Patty Patton: He's so talented <3 _

_ Logical Lo: Right. _

_ Patty Patton: I can feel the eyebrow raise from here _

_ Logical Lo: So, it's a 'yes?' _

_ Patty Patton: Do you need an 'I do?' _

_ Logical Lo: No. I'll see you then. _

Patton put his phone in his pocket and stood up with Dahlia close to him. He got to work caring for the child.

* * *

Soon the morning came and Patton answered the door with Dahlia in his arms. Her small hand wrapped around his finger and she got excited at a new person.

"Hi, Logan!"

Logan smiled back and his hands remained on the shoulder strap of his bag, "Hello, Patton. And, Dahlia?"

"The one and only sweetheart," Patton grinned as Dahlia giggled and squeezed his hand a little. He moved out of the way to let Logan in before closing it behind him. Logan glanced around the house Patton would be staying in, at least until the afternoon. It was, well, a house.

Patton set Dahlia down on her playing mat. She was surrounded by her favourite toys, something she loved almost as much as the company. Logan followed Patton's lead, sitting down on the edge of it. He took off his bag and put it beside him. Dahlia started blabbing, playing with her toys, and Patton couldn't stop smiling.

"For me?" Patton asked as Dahlia shuffled a block to him, intent on gifting, "Thanks, sweetheart!"

When Dahlia moved a block to Logan, he looked apprehensive, "What?"

"Don't tell me... no one's shared with you before?" Patton joked and picked up his block. Logan poked the one given to him, and he blinked at the bright colour.

Logan glanced at Patton as the shorter man received another block, this time a star shape, "I'm not good with kids."

"That's okay. Besides, every kid is different," Dahlia gave the taller man another block, a cylinder, as Patton spoke "It took Dahlia crying her heart out every time I left the room before I learnt she hated being alone. You learn to hold them and feed them from experience. And, you learn to expect less sleep each night. Just- you'll learn."

Logan looked over to his friend. Patton hadn't lost his smile since he saw him. He wondered...

"Do you want kids?"

"What-" Patton jolted at the forwardness and Logan processed his words.

"Oh, uh, I meant... with a future partner? You seem fond of children - if the way you treat Dahlia is anything to go by. So, would you want kids in the future? Not with me, but I mean- unless we ended up- and you- what I _ meant _was-"

"Can interrupt you?" Patton asked kindly, and Logan breathed out an embarrassed 'please,' "We're in our twenties, Logan, it's a valid thing to think and ask about," Patton paused when Dahlia made grabby hands at him. He picked up the small child, lifting her into his lap and watching her babble, "But, yeah. Maybe. One day. I'd love to be a dad. With a spouse? Well, only time will tell."

"Oh," Logan watched Dahlia tug at a curl near Patton's ear, and the bubbly man laughed, but he gently tried to detach the tightening hand, "I... I don't know if I will."

"Don't worry, you don't need to know now," Patton replied, and Dahlia moved on to grab at her blocks, "Plus, if you know you don't want to raise a child alone, then maybe single parenting isn't for you, which is okay. You don't need children to survive. But, meeting someone may change your mind. Or, it may not. Stay open. But, that's just me."

"That's confusing."

"Sorry. Best answer? Time will tell."

Logan smiled, and he tapped Patton's arm, catching his attention, "When did you get so wise?"

Patton was shocked at Logan breaching his boundaries. Logan had never initiated touch towards him, handshakes included. He'd only seen Virgil get that kind of comfort and to that level with him. Did this mean Logan was opening up to him? At least enough for small touches?

"Uh," Patton turned back to Dahlia. Making it a big deal wouldn't help, so he answered as calmly as possible, "I don't know? Woke up with a fortune cookie in my mouth?"

Logan chuckled before he turned to face Patton completely, "Alright, Patton, I give in. Teach me how to handle a child?"

Patton grinned, and Logan was lucky Dahlia was one of the easier kids he babysat. He began to tell Logan what to look out for and the routine Patton had personalised - so he didn't lose his mind and possibly endanger a child. Logan began to regret asking when he realised how much care it took for one little human. Luckily, Patton was happy to chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pathiel: I love my son so much, look at him go!  
Langreon/Case: You literally found him in the forest barely five minutes ago-  
Pathiel: My sOn


	4. Inhuman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Langreon and Pathiel feed the child they've 'adopted,' and it takes some bravery from Langreon to admit he's wrong. Logan, Roman Virgil and Patton may not be entirely human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Inexperienced child care, threats, self-doubt, fire (not huge), nightmares.

Langreon tried so many times to contact the Galaxians, but the angel's light had disrupted his systems once more. He did manage to set his tracking device up, only it would take ages for the Galaxians to arrive. For the fastest ship, Earth, which is alive and well, was days, weeks even, away.

The scientist part of him wanted to analyse this light issue and turn it around. He wanted to install the light in some way for _his _advantage. However, the soldier part wanted to eliminate the threat: the angel, Pathiel, who was giggling with the child they found.

The child, only dubbed 'the child' to him, was weird. Humans were weird. It was sloppy, useless and was limited to screeching and laughing creepily. These humans seemed to be made up of something heat-related because the child was way too warm for his liking.

Pathiel was right, something Langreon didn't like saying. Humans were not on his hit list. As much as it pained him to say, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if an innocent child died in a 'forest,' as Pathiel called it. Fortunately, the two found an abandoned shelter, and Langreon had made a fire near the edge of the three-walled area. These humans seemed to live in metal boxes with the walls and roofs rusted. Did rust help them survive?

Pathiel cooed at the child again, and Langreon wished he'd stop making weird noises. He hated Pathiel. He hated him for filling his head with lies and corruption. He hated him for telling him he was wrong - that he was on the wrong side. The Jargurs started it. He knew it. They were the ones who declared war. It's what the high command said, so it must be true.

But, no matter how much he said he was secure in his views, he'd always had a little bit of doubt in the back of his mind. Before Pathiel, Gard, the angels, the war, he'd _always_ had doubt. The scientist in him had been analysing everything the Galaxians did, and what Pathiel said... made sense. But if he truly was on the wrong side, if his technology and brain were in the hands of the enemy, then he had indirectly killed thousands of innocent people - not to mention the direct kills. He didn't want to imagine that, so the soldier pushed it down. He was a Galaxian, a proud group of people who strived for a calm and diplomatic universe. Pathiel was a liar. He was on the right side.

They'd fought many times after the first. He knew it would be only a matter of time before they started up again.

Pathiel turned to him as he stopped entertaining the child, "I have a request."

"No."

Pathiel pouted and Langreon turned away, poking the fire with a stick he found. Ever since they came here, he found himself bustling around. He was trying to find anything to distract himself from getting any attachments into the mix of this situation. He guessed he was too late for that.

"But, this is for the child."

"What is it?"

"Remove the device. I can take him to my Father-"

"You lost me at 'remove the device,'" Langreon shot the angel a glare, throwing the stick in the fire and sitting back.

"But-"

"I'm not taking the only thing keeping you from escaping. Are you stupid?" Langreon growled. It went silent. The child screeched and Pathiel's wings flattened from where they were ruffled in offence from the soldier's words. Langreon was admittedly fascinated with how the angel's wings reacted to their emotions, but that was the scientist speaking.

"The child will starve to death. Unlike me and you, they can't survive for long without food."

Langreon eyed the fussing baby who was on the verge of wailing, "Then find food."

"That's the thing," Pathiel stressed, "It's been years since my family were here. I have no idea what's changed. Not to mention, I can't walk out there like this. I doubt I'll be forgiven for abandoning them for so long. I'd either be shouted at or called some crazy person. Or worse, killed on the spot! And what if they decide they want to study me? I'll be experimented on. I don't think that's something you'd allow."

Langreon wanted to say he didn't care, but he did. Pathiel was a test subject for the Galaxians, not these humans. Plus, if he was to bring him back, he'd need to bring him back alive.

"You have a point."

"Was that so hard?"

"Yes. I hate you," Langreon sneered, arms crossing and resting on his knees. Pathiel sighed in exasperation before being distracted by the child whimpering. The angel began to shush him again, but Langreon could see what Pathiel meant. The child was fussing more and more as time passed.

"So, I can't go out there. You can."

"No."

"Seriously?" Pathiel's wings pushed against the specialised straps confining them, "Stop being so difficult. I can't get him food, but you can. Look at you! You look human," Pathiel scanned Langreon, and a sudden frown appeared.

Langreon didn't like the studying gaze being turned on him, "Stop that."

"Too human actually," Pathiel finished. Before the angel could continue, Langreon stood up, effectively cutting him off.

"Fine. I'll get the child some food. Or, I could take the child, and dump him with a human."

Pathiel looked shocked at that, glancing at the child as he mumbled, "But-"

"Don't tell me you're attached to that thing," Langreon couldn't believe it. At Pathiel's sheepish look, the soldier threw his hands up, "Unbelievable! No!"

Pathiel went back to pouting, "I mean, how could you not? Look at him," he said, holding the child up. The human giggled and flapped its arms. Then, in a few seconds, tears started building up. Langreon only just managed to cover his ears before the child started screeching.

"Yes. So adorable," he stated bluntly as Pathiel tried to sooth the child once more.

"Just get him food, and look for anyone missing a child."

Langreon blinked in surprise, "I'm not leaving you alone."

"I won't leave," Pathiel started, "The child needs fire, and so do I. I'm far too weak to run or go far. I want to look after this child, why would I take it? Especially since... and it hurts to say," Pathiel mumbled the last section but Langreon caught it easily, "It's safer closer to you."

Langreon didn't care, and yet he felt himself wavering. The soldier tensed up and Pathiel seemed to notice his apprehension.

The angel grumbled, clearly unimpressed as he spoke, "I can't believe I have to tell you this, but if it means a child won't _die,_" Pathiel looked at the wiggling human and kept it close, going quiet. That made Langreon impatient.

"What?"

"Angels are social creatures," Pathiel said slowly as if it was hard to give away information. The soldier knew it was and the scientist loved every second, "Even if you are an enemy, you're not violent to me and that is enough for my core," Pathiel gestured vaguely to his chest, "To be calm and practically dormant. If I try to be alone, it will get restless and end up levelling places to find another being. It's not pretty. Sure, the child is another being, but at a young age, my core sees him as something to protect, something that needs a safe place and doesn't think of it as an equal creature.

"It's instincts. They're barely noticeable, but we found it out when an angel had a tantrum and stayed on the moon for a few days without his family. This was also why we were so adamant about seeing each other at the station. Though we had people around us, it was our cores subconsciously calling out to the same species. That, and the bonds we wanted to form which would help us escape," Pathiel finished without meeting his eyes. That was until he had to give a snappy comment to end it, "Need to write that down?"

Langreon had listened intently, and he did get an urge to start asking questions about this social need. When Pathiel called him out, he bristled before pausing. The child was complaining again. Pathiel looked frantic, the previous attempts to calm the child down proving ineffective. He then grabbed a feather from one of his wings, tugging it free with a wince. He used it to distract the child, it fussing a bit more before latching onto the shimmering feather.

Langreon hated the options, but technically his high command wasn't here to see.

"Fine," Langreon gave a threatening glare, "However, if you run, I will hunt you down. And don't even think about bringing the child with you, it won't help. And if you leave the child to find someone else, I may just kill you. The study will no longer protect you if you do."

"Fair," Pathiel mumbled, though he didn't look too worried. The soldier was wary, but the scientist knew the child needed food or it will die. It was another thing he didn't need on his conscious. How did he get into these situations?

* * *

Pathiel watched Case walk away. He rolled his eyes when the soldier turned to glance at him. He wasn't going anywhere. He meant what he said about the child being safer near a literal soldier. And, the thing about his core? That was true. As if on cue, he felt the loneliness sitting in slowly like it did in the abyss.

The child, Pathiel had trouble coming up with a name, was crying loudly. He assumed it was because he was hungry, or he missed his parents. Although, Pathiel felt the disconnect the child was experiencing with his empathy. Either his parents left him, or they were dead and had been for a long time.

"Here, how's this?" Pathiel picked up the feather that was dropped and began to twist it until the child was distracted with it, "Sorry, little one. The slow soldier is getting your food. Try not to yell my ears off, please?"

The child took no interest in his words, being focused on the feather. He thanked his luck.

Pathiel looked around at the shelter they were in. He didn't remember humans building these. They usually built homes consisting of wood and paint. Maybe it was just some shelter.

Pathiel adjusted to sit more comfortably and distracted the child for what felt like hours. The child was getting immensely hungry, whining and crying loudly. Pathiel felt horrible, his core cracking at such a pained sound. He felt alone again with only the child being close.

Then, Case returned. He was wearing something different over his suit, a flimsy shirt and some baggy pants. He dumped the bags of food next to Pathiel and glared at the angel. This guy needed a major behaviour check.

"Your humans are idiots. The entire time, everyone was commenting on my 'diving suit.' This is a highly technological piece of equipment, not something you swim in for pleasure," Case complained, and Pathiel had to hold back a laugh, "They also have this weird thing called 'money.' Before you ask, yes, I stole that money. Just take the food and water, and stop looking at me like that."

"Sorry," Pathiel adverted his eyes, and the child was mildly interested in Case's return, "But just so you know, stealing is wrong."

"I don't need a morality lecture from an angel," Case growled, and he stood in a huff. He moved to the fire, which had started to die down, and began to bring it back.

Pathiel opened one of the bags, and he found some random things labelled 'baby.' It took some time to learn what everything was, but he used his knowledge of other cultures to assist him. He got Case to help with something called a 'formula,' the guy just saying he thought it looked important. After they spent time arguing over what to do, they found instructions in a book Case picked up too. They then argued about why he didn't say he got a book.

An hour later, he was using a container with a squishy end to feed the child.

"Finally," Case muttered from his place in front of the angel, "The human is silent."

Pathiel had been frowning a lot up until now, "I don't remember them being this difficult. They used to be fine with those crops and animals, now that have all these... things?" the angel missed the simpler times before he was caught.

Case was eyeing him, and he went to speak before he paused. Pathiel looked at him curiously. He appeared to be deep in thought.

They had been stranded for about a day now. The sun was getting lower.

Case began again, a bit quieter than usual, "How's your core?"

"My core?" Pathiel tilted his head and squinted his eyes, "What? Why?"

"You said angels were social creatures, right? I was gone for at least a few hours. How's your core?"

"Oh," Pathiel breathed and he looked to the child finishing the bottle, "Um, quiet at the moment."

"Good. Let's avoid an angel crisis, so the Expanse doesn't need to pick up after us."

Pathiel had to let out a surprised laugh at that, "That is rich! The Expanse doesn't care about low-level planets like this. What do you think they did to the Jargurs? One of the most peaceful communities in the galaxy?"

Case went back to being defensive, and Pathiel hadn't realised he was relaxing, "This again?"

"I will continue to bring it up until you realise what your operation is doing," Pathiel took Case's silence as an opportunity to continue, "Look around you. All of this? This planet? It would be wiped out for its galaxy, _if _the Expanse knew it existed. My Father hid it because of your operation, and he paid dearly for it."

"Okay, I get it," Case appeared defeated, but he covered it up with a glare, "Leave me alone about it. Just take care of the child." Case moved away from him, and closer to the fire for some space. Pathiel wondered if Case was currently the soldier or the scientist, the survivor or the innovator. The angel found he preferred the scientist.

At least that side analysed his words.

* * *

Logan frowned at his notebook. Weird words covered the paper. 'Galaxians?' 'Jargur?' And what was this about a suit? When did he write this?

Then, Logan blinked, and the words were gone, replaced with his usual notes. He sat back in his desk chair, and he told himself he was tired, and his mind was playing tricks on him. That's it. 

Logan looked over to his closet. A strange outfit stayed folded in a box and packed behind everything. He assumed it was an heirloom from his parents.

...Who were his parents again?

Mary and John - they were his parents. Logan closed his notebook and stood up, stretching to the ceiling. He packed his books away and shut off his laptop. As he picked up his pencil, another word came to mind.

"Pathiel," he mumbled, thoughtful.

Logan slipped the pencil in the crowded holder, the word gone from his head. He looked to his watch and noted the time. That must be why this was happening. He needed to sleep. He had the event tomorrow and he had to pick up the cupcakes from Patton's place before then.

Logan was already in his pyjamas, so he dropped onto his bed. He yawned at the ceiling as another word came to mind. He frowned, testing it on his tongue.

"Langreon."

It felt familiar.

* * *

Roman yelped in surprise at the flame crawling up the cabinet. He only wanted to get a mug from the cabinet. Why was there fire?

Roman attempted to smother it with a dish towel, relieved when it worked. He huffed, throwing the towel to the counter before he opened the cabinet without any more issues. Fire was popping up in the weirdest of times. It honestly was enough to invest in a fire extinguisher.

Only two nights ago, he'd woken to fire surrounding his body with his blanket slowly burning away. He was lucky he had an extinguisher or the bed would be toast.

He'd gone through so many phones that year, thanks to these outbursts. It happened almost every time he scrolled through social media, even once while messaging the group chat.

The number of times he'd became too hot for people, it was ridiculous, and not in the good way. Both Patton and Virgil had constantly commented on how warm he was. They eventually decided it was just who he was. Fortunately, it only happened once with a stranger. He'd bumped into a lady while in a crowd, and she never saw who he was. He'd ran home when she reacted like she touched heated metal.

Roman picked up his latest phone and went to text Patton about this. He paused before he set it down beside the mug. He didn't want to bug Patton. The man was already doing so much for him. He didn't need Roman's spontaneous combusting on top of it all.

Roman switched on the tap to fill the kettle. It was something he usually used for hot chocolate. A sharp pain caused him to drop the kettle. Wisps of steam rose from his hand, and he watched in wonderment. The water _burned_ him? How?

Roman switched off the tap and left the kettle in the sink. Maybe he shouldn't have tea. Maybe he should tell Patton.

* * *

Virgil cursed and kicked an empty bottle. He stood with a huff. He was trying to make a potion without help from his gift, but apparently, it was useless - like him as a witch. A laugh came from a video call leaning on his books.

"Mother," Virgil whined.

"Sorry," Valerie giggled before calming down, "You tried with impatience in your heart, the river water can sense that."

"Or _maybe, _the river water can go drown."

"...Honey-"

"I know, I _know._ It doesn't make sense," Virgil sat back down to hide his face in his hands. He felt tears start to well up, "Let's face it... I'm a crap witch. Someone else should protect him."

"No," Valerie put on her stern tone, "You were chosen. Like I was, your grandmother, and her mother before her-"

"Exactly," Virgil looked up and waved his hands, the pair shaking, "They're all women. They have the natural feminine energy of the moon in them. I have to make mine artificially."

"Yes, but the phoenixes before? They needed that. Maybe you're different for a reason."

"It makes no sense," Virgil muttered, and he instinctively propped his chin on his hand, elbow on his knee. He saw his mother shake her head through his blurred eyesight.

"It means you have that gift for a reason."

"But... you've been telling me to practice without it?"

"Yes," Valerie confirmed with a smile, "Your gift relies on pre-made potions. You're 24. Surely you're old enough to make your own."

"Can your 49-year-old self do this?" Virgil lifted his free hand to wiggle his fingers, purple energy coming into existence to waver around them.

They both knew a normal witch was not able to manifest visible magic. He had been considering asking for his title to be 'mage' instead of 'witch,' because it sounded cool, and worked for him. Witches of his world stuck to potions and had a talent for concoctions. He was able to do more.

"That's a parlour trick, Virgil. Don't be cheeky with me," Valerie scolded and Virgil dropped his hand with a huff, "That won't help you protect the phoenix, these potions will."

"He's not going to be keen on me pausing for a drink."

"...That sounds like you know him. Have you found the phoenix?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

Valerie went to speak with a tense jaw. She decided against it and moved on, "Who is it?"

"Why? Thinking of taking him away from me?"

"_Virgil._"

"Okay, okay," Virgil snickered, and he picked up a shimmering red vile, "He's called Roman this time. Before you ask, yes, I'm his friend. It was hard, but doable."

Valerie hummed and wrote down the name, "Alright, good. Ready to continue?"

"Born ready," Virgil drawled.

* * *

Patton sat up straight from another nightmare. His hand went to his shoulder, and he felt around for the wings he, no, _'Pathiel'_ lost.

Patton's shoulders stung in pain. It was there, but for some reason, it was being brushed away as a regular feeling in his head. He was scared at how easily it left him. He laid back and kept his unclear eyes to the ceiling. What was happening to him?

Patton's phone buzzed with a call, and he turned to his bedside table to check the caller. Romantic Ro. Odd.

Patton answered with a quiet, "Roman?"

"Patty, hi! Sorry, did I wake you?"

"It's," Patton briefly pulled back his phone to check the time, "5 am, what-"

"Oh... I didn't know it was that late, sorry."

"It's fine, I was awake anyway."

"...Nightmare?"

Patton hummed and Roman replied with a sympathetic inhale through his teeth. Roman had been there during one of the worst nights. It took intense cuddling to calm him down from all his crying. Patton remembered the feeling of loss of a loved one that day. He hadn't lost anyone, and it was something that still confused him to this day.

"What's up, Ro?"

"I was just calling to... tell you," Roman went quiet and some time passed before a small laugh came through, "I love you, puffball."

"Are you okay?"

Roman huffed and shuffling was heard, "Yes! Can't I say 'I love you' to my best friend?!"

"Yes, you can," Patton giggled before he moved to sit up. He paused and grinned wide, "I love you too."

"Are you busy tomorrow- well, today?"

"I've got Logan coming over to pick up some cupcakes in about... four hours, then I have to babysit for Dahlia tonight, but I'm free for lunch!"

"Lunch meet-up at our favourite bakery?"

"Perfect!" Patton smiled before he asked for a final time, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm okay, Patty," Roman sounded affectionate, his tone light, "I'll see you at lunch."

"Alright, princey prince," Patton chirped, albeit sleepily, and they said their goodbyes. He would be okay. It was nothing. The stinging was probably his mind taking the dreams too seriously. The link from dream to real world pain was real, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soldier Langreon: I hate him, I hate him, I hate him-  
Scientist Langreon: Ooo, fluffy wings!


	5. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Langreon warms up to Pathiel more and finds someplace better. Roman tells his friend about his incidents and gets more out of it than he expected, even if they're both shaken up by it. And what's in that box?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting plottyyyyy...  
Warnings: Inexperienced child care, self-doubt, mentions of an entire planet dying including children, angst, trippy/unreliable narration (nothing new, or is it?), fire, more panic than I know how to deal with.

Langreon was wide awake. The child would not stop crying. It was late, and the moon was up. The angel was passed out with the child close to him. But, it was screaming... again. He was surprised Pathiel was asleep through it. He supposed the angel really was 'weak and tired,' like he kept saying.

Langreon made his way to the child on Pathiel's chest. He sat down and picked up the little human awkwardly, frown present as he tried to determine the best way to hold it. He ended up mimicking how Pathiel held it before, not enjoying the wiggling of the child.

"Shush," Langreon half-heartedly said, "Stop crying. Just stop it."

The child continued, and Langreon expected that.

Langreon grabbed one of the toys from next to Pathiel and started to wave it, "Here take it, stop crying."

The child didn't listen and pouted before continuing its wailing.

Langreon cycled through the many ways his own species calmed their young down. He skipped past the aching want he long since buried. He remembered the nurseries back on his planet and the ways they dealt with children.

Langreon remembered the young. They were smaller, brighter and excitable, but dead. He couldn't stop thinking about how his family was gone.

Focus - he needed to focus.

Singing was something his species was proud of. Each family had a level of vocals they specialise in. His family had a deep way of singing, something he usually did alone. But, Pathiel was asleep, and it was just him and the child.

The child cried, and Langreon sang slowly. It was known that his species was talented with music. They'd spin it to do many things to the listener. It was how relationships started, how mothers calmed their young... it was how he remembered his family. He missed them - he missed them all.

The humans reminded him too much of them, almost to the point of confusion. They were bipedal, they lived in natural buildings, they had similar hair, and they had the same senses, albeit slightly weaker. Maybe they had the same orange blood as him? What would that mean?

Langreon continued singing, even as the child stopped crying and watched in wonder. He studied the little one as he sang. Was it wise to keep the little child? Should they try to get him to a human family? It would be more beneficial for the child to be with one of his own.

"Case?" Pathiel mumbled, eyes watching the soldier who held the child close. He stopped singing immediately. The angel rolled on his side to face the two, "What happened?"

"He wouldn't stop crying."

Pathiel grinned and appeared pleased, "You said, 'him.'"

Langreon's face dropped, and he shot him a look. He gave the child back to Pathiel. The angel wrapped him up in his arms and kept him close. His wings strained against the specialised straps - possibly trying to wrap around the child. The soldier went to get up since the child was quiet and falling asleep when Pathiel said a simple 'wait.'

"What?"

"Thanks for calming him down," Pathiel muttered, "I had no idea he was upset."

"You were deeply unconscious," Langreon reasoned and ignored the nice feeling he got at being thanked. It was rare to be praised for something he'd done. He didn't know what that said about him.

Pathiel held a sleepy smile, "I woke up to singing. Since when do you sing?"

"Since I was born? What's it to you?" Langreon grew defensive. Pathiel appeared to be surprised slightly, and his lips turned down.

"Nothing. Just trying to chat with you," Pathiel grumbled, "I'm starting to realise you hate talking."

"I don't."

"Then why are you so closed off? I know next to none about you."

"We're not on holiday, Pathiel," Langreon stated, tense once more, "And we're enemies, you seem to forget that."

Pathiel let out a deep sigh, almost sad, but mostly annoyed, "I thought we were getting past the enemies part and heading towards a more friendlier state. I mean, we're taking care of a child together."

The soldier guessed it was an unclear mind, but the scientist figured it out easily. From his observation, angels were naive and trusting. It was almost shocking how open they were. Granted, they had their tough moments, but at their 'cores,' angels were soft.

Langreon moved his hands to grip his arms, "I think it's a mutual agreement we have. You don't escape, I won't kill you."

Pathiel shot a glare at the scientist who stared curiously at the reaction. It was their slightly unspoken deal, he didn't get Pathiel's aversion to it.

"I'd like to forget I'm only seen as a subject for the Galaxians," Pathiel snapped back, "Especially since this is the only break I'll get until you're rescued, and I'm taken all over again."

Langreon couldn't argue with the weight of the thought, particularly when it's said in that way. The scientist shuffled a little and released his arms from his tight grip.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I won't deny it sounds harsh put like that," Langreon stated, "But your kind did kill a lot of our own."

"Case," Pathiel started, and the angel stared at him, eyes serious, "Wouldn't you do anything to protect a dying species?"

"Not if they're attacking me."

"I'm not talking about the Jargurs," Pathiel mumbled before he frowned, "What if it's someone close to you? Your species is dying around you, and it's to an organisation that feeds lies to the universe - who claim that what they're doing is for the good of everyone," Pathiel's tone became bitter with each word, and Langreon didn't know why he didn't jump in to defend them, "Imagine your parent sacrificing your brother to keep a world you so dearly loved safe from that organisation. A group that would slaughter that planet for the sake of expansion. _ Children, _Case. This child wouldn't be here if the Galaxians found them."

"I get it."

"Do you?" Pathiel asked simply, and Langreon couldn't help but let his emotions show a little.

Langreon was exhausted, and not just physically. He was starting to get the hint that the organisation he worked for did more bad than good.

Was this why they were so adamant about keeping him on their side? Did they know he'd develop such hatred towards them if he knew the truth of it? Something so intense and powerful, he felt the need to lash out, use every resource he had. Did Kolloid know? Gard? His entire team?

Langreon had one of the suits. He had their location. He could turn this technology against them.

"My family is dead," Langreon detached himself from his words slightly, stating everything as if it was only facts, "My world was destroyed by... something unknown to us. Our system is gone too. A few of us survived, including me. I joined the Expanse when we needed help. We knew nothing about the people in our universe. All we knew was ourselves and our system. I try not to think about it, or talk about it. It's not something you bring up everywhere."

Langreon went to defend himself when something grabbed his wrist. The angel, with wide sympathetic eyes, cradled it, palm against the back of his. The scientist didn't realise he had some tears building up, something he quickly wiped away. The soldier couldn't afford to show weakness. But, he supposed it was too late.

"I..." Pathiel started before he paused. Langreon wanted to get up, move away, sleep this off, but he found himself curious to the angel's words.

None came. Instead, a glow of pure white covered the soft blue of Pathiel's iris. Langreon was hit with shivers up his arm which traversed down his spine. Something safe and understanding was left in its wake. The scientist gripped the wrist of the angel, both now locked in a hold.

"What was that?"

"Pure sympathy," Pathiel answered, and Langreon noticed the child relaxing against the fading glow, "Our species is an empathic race. I didn't know what to say, so..."

Langreon felt the feeling leave him steadily. Pathiel's hand slipped from his wrist and brushed against his fingers. The scientist never had a moment like that with anyone. It felt comforting. It was almost empowering.

All he'd been to people was a soldier. A man broken down and rebuilt to kill. Pathiel's sympathy didn't feel dangerous or mocking, it felt gentle and it gave his feelings a reason to show.

Pathiel was back to holding the child close with his eyelids drooping. He looked way more tired than before the transference - that being the only way Langreon could describe it. It must've taken some energy to do that.

"Thank you," Langreon mumbled, and the angel smiled back. The glow had faded completely. Pathiel's body went slack as he fell asleep. The scientist thought for a moment before laying beside Pathiel, still keeping his distance. He stared at the rusted ceiling.

The Galaxian Expanse was wrong about them. The angels were more than subjects. They could learn so much by talking and not experimenting. How could one angel be so kind? So open? Is this why there were so many books worshipping these beings?

Langreon thought about his family once more. The faint feeling of Pathiel's sympathy followed, and he felt like he could think about his planet without falling apart. He missed them deeply. He slept soundly beside the two, as his tracker continued to flash away.

* * *

Pathiel woke to the sound of shuffling nearby. He opened his eyes to see Case moving around the shelter while feeding the child. His suit was off, replaced by the flimsy shirt and baggy pants. The outfit was on the ground with compartments open and various tools around it. The angel frowned in confusion and sat up slowly.

Case spotted him and made his way over with the child, "Ah, you're awake. Some good news first. I found a house nearby. It appears to be abandoned like this one. I'm thinking it was used for woodcutters if I'm using that word correctly."

Pathiel blinked sleepily at him, still waking up from his deep sleep, "Okay?"

"We can move there. It's got better protection and the dust can be cleared out easily."

"Oh," Pathiel mumbled, and he rubbed at his eyes. His wings fluttered behind him, a stiff feeling came up from being restrained for so long, "That's good."

Case moved closer, and he crouched with his head tilting, "It's too early for you, is it?"

"No," Pathiel was quick to state, "No, it's fine. Just still half asleep."

Case was silent. He stared at him curiously, and Pathiel didn't know how many times the soldier had studied him with visuals alone.

The child finished it's feeding, and the soldier went back to focusing on that. Case began to wander around again, and Pathiel realised the food and water were gone.

"Where is everything?"

"I've moved it all. I was waiting for you before we go."

"And your suit?"

Case looked to outfit splayed out on the ground, and he shrugged, "I was bored, so I did a little tinkering."

Case was using a lot of human words, ones Pathiel was only vaguely familiar with. Did he pick up a dictionary? How far did Case's curiosity go?

Pathiel stood up the best he could. He leant against a wall when a sharp pain shot up the base of his wings. He winced, hand going to his core. Case must've noticed because he was beside him in a flash. The angel didn't know where all this care came from.

"What's wrong?" Case asked, and Pathiel moved away from the reaching hand. The angel's eyes focused on the child held up against Case's chest.

"It's fine," Pathiel mumbled. He reached out to touch the little human when another sharp pain passed through the base of his wings - right at his shoulder.

"You don't look fine," Case shot back, and the soldier was back to studying him, "I prefer you tell me what's wrong before it gets worse."

"Alright," Pathiel ended up saying, and Case looked pleased, "It's my wings. They're not meant to be confined like this."

His wings usually got stretched during experiments. They had tested how the limbs correlated with his emotions or sudden mental change. That was something the Galaxians had been poking and prodding at before he escaped.

"Oh," Case looked apprehensive before a thought seemed to hit him, "How about we move to the new place and I'll get the straps off?"

Pathiel stared at him in surprise, "Really?"

"Well, yeah. Didn't you say you wanted to forget being a subject for a bit? And you," Case paused, and he turned oddly shy, "You helped me a lot last night with the sympathy thing. So, this could be a way to repay you?"

Pathiel couldn't believe it. Was a simple empathic moment all it took to turn a Galaxian soldier good? Or was it just the special case of, well, Case?

"Let's get going then," Pathiel couldn't contain his excitement. He had a chance to stretch his wings - something he'd been afraid he'd never do again.

Pathiel accepted the child when it was handed to him, and Case went to his suit to pack it up. When it was turned into a makeshift bag with the tools inside, Case waved for him to follow. It would've been so easy to escape, but Pathiel found himself not wanting to. In the time they'd been on this Earth, he'd become attached. Not just to the child, but the soldier too. Something told him it was a bad idea, but hope fought against that.

Maybe they could both forget about the Galaxian Expanse and move on. Maybe they could live away from the wars and the constant worry that came with it. Maybe Pathiel could see his family again and _ maybe_ Case could find a less murderous purpose. His Father was forgiving, maybe he could meet the scientist who saved his son and give him said purpose.

Time will tell.

* * *

Roman's leg bounced from restrained energy. He had decided to tell his best friend about the incidents. He was going to explain his situation and hopefully get help. He wasn't sure what help would mean, but he needed it.

Roman didn't know when everything moved without him. He wasn't sure when Patton got there or when they got tea. He didn't know how he was here, and how he lived. Did he die? Where was he? Who was he in this life?

"Ro, hey," Patton snapped him back to the present, and he watched in concern for his friend, "You feeling okay?"

Roman remembered when his old friend had wings. A halo of diamonds on his head. He remembered the soldier who helped raise him. He remembered a witch came, and the harvest started all over again.

Two witches, Valerie, and the one who went by Deceit, they fought over him. He wasn't Roman back then. He went by a different name in that life. And his caretakers, Pathiel and Langreon, the ones who saved him after that life and paid the price. Who were they?

Roman remembered Valerie protecting him. He remembered dying in the hands of Deceit. Where was he?

"Roman, your- oh, my gosh," Patton breathed, and Roman realised why.

A fire had spouted around his hands, both cupped around the teacup. As soon as it appeared, it blew away. Roman looked up to see Patton wide-eyed and shocked with the sight.

"Roman, your hands were on fire! You, what?!"

Roman bit his lip hard, "I need to tell you something. There's been, I can't-"

Tears welled up in Roman's eyes and his breathing was getting out of hand. Patton didn't let him finish as he knew what his friend needed immediately. Roman would've jumped at how quickly Patton stood to help, he had not been preoccupied with freaking out.

They left behind their half-empty tea, and Roman was taken outside for the fresh air. The situation hit him hard along with the memories that swirled in his head. Once the two made it out of the bakery and started walking, he started to softly cry.

Roman didn't know what was happening to him. What were these things inside his head? Were these his memories or delusions?

Patton pulled him closer, and he held his hand tightly, "Let's get back to my place. You can explain there."

"You're not," Roman wiped away a few tears and let himself be guided by Patton, "Scared? Or angry I didn't tell you? Upset that our lunch is ruined?"

"Ro, I'm... it's okay. If you're hurting I want to be here. And I can't lie, I'm terrified," Patton gripped his friend's lower arm with his free hand, and he stayed as close as possible, "But I'm more scared _ for _ you. Since when could you produce, and put out a fire?"

"A few weeks ago? But, this is the worse it's been."

"Is this why you keep upgrading your phone? It's not the cool new features, is it?"

Roman smiled at his perceptive friend, and the two reached Patton's house, "I wish it was."

They were confused at a car parked in Patton's driveway. His friend's car was parked around the side of the house through a gate, and this one was not his own. Too dark. Virgil was there to greet them on the verandah.

"Pat, there you are," Virgil stood from the chair outside, "And, hello to you, princess. You okay?"

Roman quickly wiped his tears away the best he could. Patton watched him fail for a few moments before helping him out gently, "He had a scare, that's all."

"Must be pretty big to make him cry."

"You kidding me? He's the biggest softie! You should see him with Disney movies," Patton giggled and smushed Roman's cheeks. Roman flushed red, and he shoved his hands away in embarrassment.

Virgil smirked that deadly smirk, and Roman dared him to speak up with a glare. The taller, by only a_ few _ inches, thank you very much, waved towards Patton's door.

"In we go?"

"Sure, hang on," Patton began to open his door, and as he did, Virgil took that opportunity to place a hand on Roman's shoulder. It was a nice gesture until Virgil grinned mischievously.

"So... did a guy say 'no,' and the rejection scared you to tears?"

Roman scoffed and shoved the hand away, "As if anyone would reject this."

"You're right. They'd probably run before you got the chance."

Roman wasn't in the mood to retort and only followed behind Patton when his friend finally got the lock to behave. Virgil seemed to pause before entering after the two.

Patton went straight to making tea for his friends while Virgil hovered awkwardly. He'd only been in Patton's place once before, so he was back to being his nervous self again. Roman, however, immediately flopped on the couch with a huff.

"So, why are you here, Virgil?" Patton asked from the kitchen, "Not that I don't mind the random drop-in."

"Oh, yeah! I found something interesting, and I think it belongs to you."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll understand when you see it."

Roman sat up, legs dangling over the arm of the couch. He looked at the two with a curious gaze, "What is it?"

"Sorry, princess," Virgil headed to him with a smile, "It's for Patton only."

"That's boring," Roman muttered as Virgil sat down beside, or rather behind, him, "Secrets are boring."

"Stop complaining. Patton will probably show you anyways."

Roman shuffled a bit before he laid over Virgil's lap, poking the other's stomach, "You're no fun."

"And, you're heavy as hell. Since when?"

"It's all pure muscle," Roman tried with a wide grin, and Virgil was having none of it.

"You're a theatre dork whose only exercise is dancing on stage."

"Hey, I know buff performers!"

"You're. Not," Virgil punctuated his words with prods to Roman's ticklish sides, "One. Of. Them. You may be fit but you're not buff."

Patton interrupted while he placed tea on the coffee table, "Stop torturing the man," his friend sat on the soft carpet as he picked up his cup, "Ro is an excellent performer."

Virgil rolled his eyes as he laid his arms across the back of the couch, "Okay, Dad."

Roman got a hold of Virgil's hoodie zipper and started to play around with it. He loved the noise that came from it, and he found himself relaxing to the sound of his friends' talking.

The events from earlier came to mind.

Roman thought of Valerie, Pathiel and Langreon. These people felt important to him, but he didn't know what or where they were now. All the incidents and random memories were stressing him out. What was he? No human could handle fire so casually.

Roman found himself relaxing too much into the idea that he wasn't human. He felt calm as if it was a simple truth. It scared him, and not in the way he thought. He wasn't scared of the fire anymore - he was scared of what had happened to the people in his mind. Patton was still giving him concerned glances, but he was otherwise occupied with Virgil's words, whatever he was saying.

Who was Valerie? Who were these otherworldly beings? Who was Deceit, and why did he have so much hatred towards him? Who was he if he was not human? _ What _ was he?

* * *

When Virgil left, he gave Patton a box from his car and told him to open it alone. Patton waved off his friend with a frown. What was so important about this box? He felt weird holding it, so he placed it on his island bench as soon as he got inside. It felt... right. It was like something in there was familiar to him.

"What is it?" Roman reached for it, and Patton felt oddly protective of this mysterious thing. He lightly smacked away his friend's hand.

"No touching," Patton warned, "And we still have things to talk about, mister."

"Oh, boy, not that voice," Roman playfully whined as he moved to the couch again, "But yeah, you're right."

Patton sat beside him in interest, "The fire? Explain, now."

Roman's smile dropped, and he curled in on himself, "I don't know how to make it sound less weird but..." Patton came closer as his friend continued, "For the past few weeks, I've been setting things on fire. Not on purpose. It happens randomly and it's always with my hands. And, last night, water _ burned _me. Or, something like that. I spilt water on my hand and steam came up and everything. I-" Roman sighed out and stopped his rant to pause.

Patton processed his friend's words as they sank in. What Patton saw at the bakery was odd, which was an understatement. Roman had been spaced out the entire time at the bakery, and Patton hadn't thought much of it. Roman had his moments with spacing out, as he was a creative soul. When the fire appeared, so casually burning away, Patton didn't know what to think. The sight didn't feel foreign, that's for sure.

Patton felt wrong. He wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be somewhere? Somewhere green, with fire, and a soldier.

"I just don't know what's happening to me."

'You and me both,' Patton mused.

"Can you do it on command?" Patton asked quietly, and Roman snapped his head up in surprise.

"You're not- what?"

Patton sighed, and he moved his hands to grip his arms, "I don't know what to think, Roman. This is huge, and I don't know how to help. This fire isn't hurting you, right? So there has to be something bigger at play..."

Roman nodded, and he looked to be contemplating something, "I've... I've never tried to do it willingly. I thought if I ignored it, it would just go away."

"Can you try?"

Roman shuffled a bit before he nodded again in determination, "We'll see."

Roman picked up a tissue from a box on the coffee table. He thought hard at the piece with his eyes squinting. Patton was about to confirm that he couldn't do it when a spark started, and the tissue was burnt away.

They should have thought about where they were testing this. Maybe doing it over the sink, or somewhere less-flammable would've been better because soon the two were stomping out some flames on the carpet.

"Holy-"

Patton cut him off, "Let's not finish that sentence."

The fire was out, but his carpet had a ruined patch and was releasing a bad smell. Patton opened his windows before he pouted down at the fluffy rug. It now sported an unappealing burnt area.

"Sorry."

Patton looked up at the guilty eyes of Roman, "It's," he paused, "It's fine, I'll deal with it later."

They both knew Patton would have a very emotional time dealing with the burn.

"Uh," Roman attempted, "I did it?"

"You did!" Patton suddenly felt pride and the carpet was gone from his mind for a moment, "Do you know what this means?"

"A little. I'm not human... that's for sure," Roman mumbled, and he sat back on the couch. Patton remained standing for a second before dropping beside his friend.

"Alien?"

"No, no, definitely not," Roman waved his hands around, and he leant his head back to stare at the ceiling, "I'm from Earth, that's for sure, but more. Something, I don't know. I could search it up."

Patton made a noise of excitement, startling Roman. He leapt to his feet and headed down the hall to his room. He quickly grabbed his laptop from his desk, disconnecting it from its charger. As he made his way back, he opened it and let it startup.

"Let's research it then!"

"Shouldn't the nerd be doing this?" Roman grumbled as his friend sat beside him.

"Say what you want about him, but his researching is top-notch," Patton opened up the browser and moved it to Roman, "Besides, I don't think you want him to know about this."

Roman snorted a half-laugh in agreement. The two began their search with 'fire hands.' All that popped up was a bunch of magic tricks and pictures of CGI fire. Patton laughed when Roman jokingly typed in, 'help, my hands produce fire.'

"Try, 'species with fire,'" Patton mumbled, setting his head on Roman's shoulder as his friend typed. Nothing useful came up until Roman added 'fantasy' in a moment of curiosity.

A bunch of names popped up, and they were dragged down the rabbit hole of wikis. They found a list of fantasy species under the element of fire, both laughing at the idea of Roman as a dragon.

"You can't be a hellhound, we all know you're a bit too human for that," Patton giggled.

When Roman didn't laugh with him, Patton eyed him curiously. Roman leaned forward, and it removed Patton from his shoulder, something he whined at. Patton watched his friend open a page to one of the species, eyes burning in interest.

"Ro?"

Roman glanced at him, before he turned the screen to his friend, pointing at the title, "Phoenix, Patty. I can't describe it but... it makes sense. I've had this feeling I know someone from another life - another one of_ my _lives. It was me, and these people, I know these people in that life. I've been alive before."

"Pheonix? The firebird? But you're-"

"Not a bird, I know. But this makes sense, Patty," Roman's eyes were alight, and his friend looked eager.

"Okay," Patton frowned before he asked, "Who were those people then? Maybe they could help?"

"Maybe? There's Valerie," Roman began, "She's a witch. She found me when I was young, or when I was old? It's unclear but I think she was there for my death and rebirth. There's another called Deceit. He's a witch too, but a less friendly one. I've seen him every time I've died, he has to be connected to them."

"Witches are real?" Patton mumbled. If he didn't see fire spout from Roman twice now, he would've thought he was crazy. But this... made sense. Why was he so calm about this?

"Yes. And apparently," Roman thought for a moment, speaking slowly as he recalled things, "I've always had a witch protecting me from Deceit. Valerie was that witch."

"Okay..."

"And two people raised me in that life, the previous one before this one. Langreon-" Patton jolted at the name and Roman paused in concern, "What?"

"Nothing, I," Patton frowned, unclear of his reaction, "I don't know why I reacted like that."

Roman eyed him but moved on, "He's a soldier and a scientist but from space."

"As in, an alien?"

Roman laughed lightly, "I don't think he likes being called that."

"Oh."

"And he had a friend. Or was that boyfriend? They were very close. He was an angel."

"Angel? As in Christian angel?"

"No," Roman looked to the wall, and his eyes glazed over as he recalled things, "He wasn't like that. He was from another dimension. I don't know how that worked, but he was."

"Okay," that was becoming Patton's normal reaction now.

"He was called Pathiel."

Patton's breath got away from him, the sting in his shoulders came back, the nightmares. Was it the same Pathiel? Was Pathiel real?

"Patton," Roman gripped his friend's shoulders, which made him yelp in pain. Patton stood and cradled his elbows. Roman stared in surprise at the reaction.

"I've heard that name- he's in my dreams," Patton explained with stressed words, and his hands shook, "If he's real, why am I dreaming about him. And if you're that phoenix, he's- and Langreon, he's there too. But a different name, Case. I can't see his face, it's-"

"Patton, hey," Roman opted for gripping his friend's upper arms, and his honey eyes kept Patton stationed to reality, "Calm down, breathe. This is odd, weird- total bananas!" Roman smiled when Patton did, "But we'll figure it out, yeah?"

Patton nodded and he was pulled into a tight embrace, the stinging fading slowly. He buried even closer to his friend, and he felt a hand rubbing along his shoulder blades. It soothed him.

"Thanks, kiddo," Patton mumbled. He didn't notice that Roman tensed at the nickname that slipped out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roman: I'm so hot-  
Patton: You're on fire!?!  
Roman: I'm so hOt


	6. Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Langreon released Pathiel's wings and helps him furthur. Roman gets a visit from a friend while he was settling from the emotional draining talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real warnings for this chapter, maybe discomfort in a character?
> 
> This took a while to write, it was hard getting it to flow the way I wanted to. Thanks for all the nice comments though, those really helped! I'm glad people are enjoying this.

Langreon had to admit, he was a bit excited. When he got the idea to release Pathiel's wings, he couldn't help but blurt it out. He wanted to see the wings of an angel unrestrained, and he wanted to study its movements. He could do it more 'humanly' now that Pathiel and himself were on good terms. At least, he felt they were.

Langreon opened the door to the house, and the hinges creaked at the sudden use. He let the two inside before shutting it behind them. Pathiel looked around at the space, void of life, and perfect for them to start a liveable area.

Pathiel crouched to examine a single rocking chair left behind by the previous owners, "Well, it's," Pathiel paused to cough when his wings flicked dust off the floor. He stood up, "It's an upgrade."

"It is," Langreon agreed easily, and he waved a hand to the bags on a built-in surface, "It also has convenient tables."

Pathiel smiled softly, "Counters."

"What counters it?"

"No, uh," Pathiel laughed, and the child tugged at a curl near his ear, "Humans call that a counter."

Langreon watched the angel detach the child's hand, and the dictionary definition of a 'table' came to mind, "But a table describes-" realisation set in, and he visibly deflated, "Is this one of those words that could technically define two things, but it's considered wrong to use them interchangeably?"

At Pathiel's careful shrug, Langreon huffed and moved to set his suit on the counter beside the bags. He looked over to the angel to speak, and he decided against it.

Something about this being made him stop and stare more than he wanted to. At first, it was curiosity from a scientist's eye, but now he wondered if angels naturally attracted sunlight, from a purely Langreon view. That was something he'd never noticed.

"Alright, the child is happy," Pathiel mumbled out loud, and stepped closer to the bags, "We have food and water, a good shelter, mutual respect, I hope," the two shared a glance before eyeing the room, "All that's left is..."

"Me taking off those straps?"

Pathiel was a bit cautious, "Yes?"

Langreon waved a hand to motion him closer. The angel was hesitant, but the scientist could see the excitement in his eyes. Pathiel turned to give Langreon access to the ties. The scientist was quick to work and unclasped the clips easily.

"Unfortunately, I can't get the device out of you," Langreon spoke as he worked on a lock, "That would require a more surgery based-"

"I get it," Pathiel mumbled and the scientist saw the wings twitch with the defeated tone.

Langreon finished the lock, and he pulled the straps away. He expected Pathiel to immediately stretch out, but the angel didn't move. Maybe he didn't know they were free? His wings could've gone numb to purposeful movements, Langreon guessed.

"They're off," Langreon stated and he moved to the front of the angel, "Pathiel?"

"I know," the angel's eyes had closed, and he held the child closer.

The wings moved but retracted with a wince. Langreon saw the child squirming in Pathiel's hands, and he gently nudged the human from him. The angel gave him freely, but his hands stayed floating in the air, possibly unsure.

"What's wrong?" Langreon asked, and finally, the angel opened his eyes. The soft blue was covered in a shimmer of tears that were held back. The wings tried again to extend, but they didn't get far before snapping back. Langreon almost visibly winced with him.

"It hurts," Pathiel hissed, and Langreon supposed it made sense. The wings had been restrained to simple, small movements. Going to a full spread was like a leap after sitting for days.

"Uh, okay?" Langreon bit his lip in thought, "Well... what do you need?"

Pathiel grew a bit shyer, "About that," one of his hands travelled up to his shoulder to rub at it, "When our wings get like this it's usually from a year-long sleep. We normally have another angel to help-" Pathiel waved his hand around in thought, "Massage it out if that makes sense."

"Oh," Langreon hummed before considering the angel's words, "If you need help-"

"Well, that's the thing," Pathiel interrupted, "I can take it slowly and-"

"Painfully? That's less than ideal."

Pathiel gave him a levelled stare, "Case, do you really want to do this? You've already released them, you don't need to do more."

Langreon grinned, "Are you kidding?" the scientist nodded to the arches of the wings, "This is an opportunity to learn more about them. I have so many questions! Do they connect to the shoulder blades, or is it a separate bone? Do angels have shoulder blades? How many bones are in your wings? Do the feathers-"

"Okay, okay," Pathiel shushed the intrigued scientist, and he blushed in embarrassment, "That's a lot of questions. If you're that interested..." Langreon nodded quickly, and Pathiel chuckled, "Fine."

Langreon couldn't believe it. Although, he supposed he could. This was a chance to get a majority of his questions answered. Questions that popped up every time the wings did anything remotely interesting.

Langreon lifted the child a bit to gesture to the human still in his arms, "So, how are we doing this?"

Pathiel thought for a moment, no longer attempting to move his wings, before he held out his arms, "Pass him to me, and we'll sit down."

Langreon handed the child over easily. Pathiel started to cradle the human, and the scientist eyed the dusty floor. He wordlessly headed to the bags to grab out a couple of blankets and a few toys for the child to stay entertained. He proceeded to lay the blankets out for a comfortable seat, as Pathiel watched him work. The scientist brushed his hands together once he finished before waving a hand to the nest like area.

The angel laughed, "You're really going above and beyond?"

"Hey, I don't know how long this'll take. Might as well be comfortable," Langreon reasoned to which the angel hummed.

"That's fair," Pathiel smiled, a little playful, "I'm stupidly trusting you here. Don't pull out any feathers."

"That's fair," Langreon parroted. The two sat down, the angel shuffling to sit with his wings facing the scientist.

The wings weren't white, not completely. Besides all the dust and dirt that covered them, they were a more yellowish colour, a soft cream. Langreon couldn't help but touch the wings with an impulse to feel. The wings jolted away, and Pathiel tensed slightly from the pain that came with the movement. The angel had stopped entertaining the child with a pause. Langreon guessed Pathiel wasn't used to his wings being touched.

Pathiel spoke up, picking up a pacifier from the items Langreon got, "Usually you start with the base, that's where the main muscles are. I'll be stretching with you the entire time you do this. It'll be weird at first, but you should fall into a rhythm."

"Got it," Langreon brushed a couple of feathers aside to find the base where the wings connected to the angel's torso, "So, it's neither? It looks connected to the spine more than anything-"

"Are you seriously doing this?"

"You seem to forget, Pathiel," Langreon mumbled as he began to find a way to rub at the sore wings, "I'm a scientist, researcher, and inventor. I like studying things."

"I've noticed-" Pathiel made a noise, leaning away quickly, "That spot tickles, so avoid it."

Langreon moved away from that particular area with a laugh, "Alright."

They continued to awkwardly try and shuffle the wings out. Pathiel gave directions to Langreon the entire time. The scientist was learning a lot from the experience, and the angel seemed to steadily stretch his wings as he went on poking and rubbing at areas. The full spread only came when Langreon reached the joints at the top of the wings. Pathiel had spaced out with his wings lowered below his shoulders.

"You okay?" Langreon asked as Pathiel hadn't said anything in a while.

The angel hummed, and Langreon realised his soft blue eyes had closed, "Slightly focusing on moving everything," a smile appeared, and his head tilted more than it already was, "And mostly remembering Hevon."

"What about it?"

"My family used to do this for me. I guess I'm feeling nostalgic."

Langreon looked up from where he was mapping out an area, "Oh. Is it not the same?"

"Obviously," Pathiel mumbled, "You don't radiate 'angel.' And, your hands are rougher. You move in a more examining way, as you spoke about. You have... calluses, too. And, I can feel you committing this to memory. Like a document to review and analyse later."

Langreon paused, and the wings fluttered to chase his hands, "You can feel all of that?"

"Empathic race, Case. Plus, wings are one of the core's closest things to the physical plane," Pathiel explained, and he moved one hand from the child to point at the crown on his head, "That and our halos."

Pathiel sighed when Langreon started his movements again, "Interesting."

"Suppose it is."

\----

They began to fall into a rhythm like Pathiel said they would. Case was able to judge when to press hard and when to not. He knew when to move on from an area once Pathiel was able to flex it. In the end, Pathiel's wings could comfortably stretch out with less pain.

Pathiel could feel Case's eyes on him and his wing's movements. It wasn't hard to guess that the scientist was fascinated with the pair. Eventually, they were finished and there was no reason for Case to continue.

Pathiel turned to face the scientist, his wings pulling in to help him manoeuvre, "You know," Pathiel started with a playful tilt, "With how well you did, you'd make a decent angel."

"I know you're joking, but no thanks."

Pathiel laughed lightly, and the child stayed silent in his arms, pacifier in mouth, "Suit yourself," the angel then looked to the child, shyly rubbing its arm, "Thanks for the help."

Case seemed to pause, and Pathiel looked up to find a small smile, "No problem. It was informative."

"Oh dear," Pathiel sighed in exaggeration, "What did you learn to help bring down an angel?"

"A lot, this will benefit the Galaxians greatly."

Pathiel looked up quickly. Had he not noticed the playful tilt to Case's lips, he would've been worried about those words. He'd put a lot of trust in the scientist.

Case's finger was grabbed by the child's small hand. He seemed to be more relaxed around the angel than usual. It was something Pathiel wasn't sure if he should be happy about or concerned with. Was it an act to gain more knowledge, or was the soldier truly being nicer to him? Were they no longer enemies? Were they akin to friends?

Pathiel set his mind to the child who was falling asleep in his arms. He didn't want to consider he was being manipulated. That'd cause a huge problem. He'd start to analyse everything the soldier said, and he didn't have the energy to do that constantly.

Pathiel's wings curled around the three of them. The angel ignored Case's studying gaze, and he focused on making shade for the child. He laid a light kiss on the child's forehead, and the angel's eyes flashed white.

"Sleep well, kiddo."

\----

Patton had to babysit Dahlia which left Roman alone in his house. He felt lighter after the chat they had and also exhausted with how much emotion was brought up.

Roman moved to the guest room with an intent to rest. Some of his stuff was there from the previous times he'd visited and stayed the night. He'd been over so many times, he'd begun to think of it as a second home. Patton didn't seem to mind, judging by Roman's stuff being left alone in the spare room.

Roman flopped back on the bed and turned on his phone. He began to check a few messages from people. He smiled at the text Patton sent, most likely from after he left.

_ Patty: We'll figure this out, kiddo. If you need a smile, remember: puppies exist! :) _

The amount of encouragement his friend gave him should've been impossible. However, the nickname, 'kiddo,' gave him a swirl of emotions. It was hard to tell what came from that word. It seemed to be a mixture of happiness, longing and a little bit of pride from another life. Or was it this one? His phone interrupted him with another message.

_ Emo Nightmare: r u free? _

Roman sighed unhappily at the format of his friend's text.

_ Crowned Prince: Why must you continue to torture me with horrible texts? _

_ Emo Nightmare: ur unhappiness = my happiness _

_ Crowned Prince: :( _

Despite the messages, Roman smiled at the texts. It was nice talking to Virgil, twice now today. He knew the constant jabs and snaps never held any truth to them. Virgil seemed to know when to let out his snark and when Roman's mood was a bit too fragile to take it.

_ Emo Nightmare: how r u doing? _

_ Emo Nightmare: pretty sure all gays felt the tears of their princess earlier _

_ Crowned Prince: Once again, I'm a MAN and PRINCESS is a FEMININE term, but let me guess, you don't care? _

_ Emo Nightmare: I use it to watch u fume tbh _

_ Emo Nightmare: too many compliments and u'll explode _

_ Emo Nightmare: u have Pat for that _

_ Crowned Prince: Thanks? _

_ Emo Nightmare: np <3 _

_ Emo Nightmare: anyways, can you come over? _

_ Crowned Prince: Give me a moment to process the care you showed. _

_ Crowned Prince: Virgil doesn't want me to explode? Proof he has a heart? :O _

_ Emo Nightmare: im glaring rn, feel the wrath _

_ Crowned Prince: Ouch... _

_ Emo Nightmare: can. you. come. over? _

_ Crowned Prince: I'm free, but do I want to? _

_ Emo Nightmare: yes _

_ Crowned Prince: Tough, I have no way to get there. You live on the other side of town and I don't have a car. _

_ Emo Nightmare: how do you manage to walk everywhere?? _

_ Crowned Prince: It's called e x e r c i s e _

_ Emo Nightmare: oh yeah _

_ Emo Nightmare: ew brb _

Roman set his phone aside with a grin stuck to his lips. He should probably get changed into something more comfortable. Jeans weren't the best for naps.

Roman got up to check the cupboard in the room. He hummed along to a few Disney tunes as he searched clothes all washed by Patton. He held up an old shirt with the word 'gay idiot' across the front and huffed.

"Forgot you existed," Roman mumbled out loud, and he chucked the shirt back into the drawer. He found an old band shirt he left behind and changed out of his day clothes to slip it on. He smiled down at the shirt's creepy print before he dropped the clothes over an accented love seat.

In only a shirt and boxers, Roman dropped back onto the comfy bed in the middle of the room. He dragged a fluffy red blanket from under the bed - something Patton tended to keep there for him. He wrapped it around his shoulders and settled himself against the headboard.

Roman checked his phone to find Virgil hadn't returned. Considering the emo lived with his phone near him constantly, that was odd. Soon enough, Roman lost himself in memes and aesthetically pleasing pictures that showed up on his feed. A text broke him out of his adventure.

_ Emo Nightmare: im outside Pat's house _

_ Emo Nightmare: it took all ounces of motivation to come here, but damnit if im not going to see you _

_ Emo Nightmare: that sounds gay _

Roman sat up a bit straighter at the texts. Since when did he tune out all car sounds? Maybe his brain thought his car arriving was another on the road nearby? And, he _ just_ got changed into lounging clothes.

_ Crowned Prince: You're joking. _

_ Emo Nightmare: nope _

_ Emo Nightmare: door unlocked? _

Roman confirmed it was, and he lept up to grab some comfortable pants. He debated on leaving the blanket before deciding to take it with him. Once somewhat presentable with a blanket around his shoulders, he exited the room as the front door opened. It was only a friend, he shouldn't have to dress up every time they meet.

"Yo, princess?" Virgil's voice called, and Roman instantly spotted the bag his friend carried.

"What the hell, Virgil?" Roman greeted, "I saw you basically," he paused to glance at the clock on the wall, "6 hours ago?"

Virgil rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him. He went to reply when he seemed to take in Roman's appearance. The emo frowned at the band name on his shirt before a smirk made its way to his lips.

"I didn't know you listened to My Chemical Romance."

"Shut up," Roman shot back, and he crossed his arms in an attempt to hide the logo as a blush formed, "It's an old shirt... and they have _ some _ good songs..."

"Some? Turning emo, princess?" Virgil's grin only widened at Roman's answering glare. The taller came closer as he raised the bag, "I brought a gift."

Roman snatched the bag, maybe a bit too forcibly, from Virgil. He peered in at the contents. Some of Roman's favourite snacks and a sweet drink sat inside.

Roman looked up in confusion, "You came all this way to bring me food?"

"No," Virgil drawled, "I came all this way to tell you, 'the bees are dying.' Alright, cool talk, bye."

Roman knew he was being sarcastic by the tone, and the lack of attempt to leave. He couldn't help the smile that came up.

"Alright, I get it. What else did you come here for?"

"To hang out," Virgil answered, and his nervousness started to show in the form of biting his nail, "I know I saw you earlier, with Patton. I, uh, just need to... be with someone right now."

"Why not Logan?"

"He's got the event on at Fan's Domain."

"Oh, yeah," Roman mumbled before he reached up to pull Virgil's hand away from his mouth, "You can stop ruining your nails. I don't mind the company, you emo."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Roman waved off the words, and headed back to the guest room, knowing his friend would follow, "Besides, I'm not doing anything. Just some chilling and meme browsing."

Virgil was indeed following, his voice close behind, "Thanks for the new name."

"What?" Roman asked in confusion, and he dumped the bag beside the bed. He then climbed back to his previous spot where his phone was as Virgil spoke.

"You're now a 'Meme Queen.' You said you're meme browsing, and you seem to have a royal theme going on," Virgil dumped himself on the bed as he rambled. The emo took a moment to find a comfortable spot on his belly and propped his torso up on his elbows.

"Alright, no, leave the nicknames to me," Roman leaned over to grab out a bag of gummy bears, and Virgil watched him open them with a blank stare.

Virgil seemed to think a bit before asking, "You never said what upset you earlier."

Roman only hummed. He wasn't sure if he should tell Virgil what happened. It was a rough lunch and a bunch of theories. However, he knew being a phoenix was not a theory. It fit who he was. He wasn't sure what it meant and how it would affect his life from now on, but it _ fit_.

Virgil shuffled a hand up to grip his friend's elbow, "I'm here for you, Roman. But, if you _ really_ don't want to tell me, that's cool, too."

Roman threw a yellow gummy bear into his mouth, and he grinned back, "I'll keep it in mind."

"Now give me a bear," Virgil shoved his hand into the packet and got a small complaint from Roman, "I paid for these. Taxation, princess."

Roman huffed, but he didn't object further when Virgil stole a gummy bear to chew on. The emo set his chin on folded arms and let his head bounce slightly as he chewed. Roman was fixated on biting the head off of his newest treat before eating the rest.

Virgil then laid his head sideways to peer up at Roman with his near-black eyes. His friend retorted by dropping a gummy on his cheek, but the emo simply glared. Roman stuck his tongue out before digging back into the packet. They stayed in silence for a few minutes - Roman dropping gummies into Virgil's mouth, and Virgil getting visibly huffy when he missed despite them being so close.

Soon, Roman finished off the packet, and he dumped the empty foil on the bedside table to throw away the next time he got up. He picked up his phone and began to scroll through his feed again mindlessly. He was interrupted when a hand grabbed his own and tugged it away from the screen.

"Hey-" Roman cut himself off when Virgil press a light kiss to his knuckles. Virgil glanced up, and Roman could see the nervousness in his eyes. The phoenix responded by threading his fingers with Virgil's. A blush made its way to his ears. Virgil was, despite his constant snark and sharp glares, a rather sweet man. It always surprised him whenever the emo gave Roman small touches and physical reassurances. He must've learnt it was what Roman responded to best.

Roman turned back to his phone and tried to ignore Virgil's thumb rubbing against his hand. It was distracting, but Roman was determined to scroll through some funny memes and not acknowledge what was happening. If he took a second to process what they were doing and the feelings they presented, he would become a mess. A blushing, flustered mess that would ruin his confident, expressive image.

Virgil had his arms curled up to support his head and had enough room to hold Roman's hand. His friend was tired and was attempting to rest his eyes while he was there. They went silent again and let themselves enjoy it while it lasted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Virgil: lmao hate life!  
Roman: Hey, emo-  
Virgil: lmao love life!


	7. Alight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Langreon expresses his feelings and the two get a surprise midnight visitor. Roman spontaneously combusts at the worst of times, or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's late, I'm tired, but boy am I excited!
> 
> Warnings: mentions of death and murder, rebirth, fire, pain.

A few days had passed since they moved to the better shelter. Langreon currently sat on its wood-panelled floor with Pathiel on the rocking chair beside him, feeding the child. The scientist had his suit laid out before him, and he was attempting to fix the communication device. As he worked, he noticed how enthusiastic he was. That is, he wasn't enthusiastic at all.

With how smart he was, Langreon could've finished the repair at least a day ago. However, he'd been subconsciously putting it off. He'd long since disabled the tracker quickly into his routine - something he was telling himself was accidental to help him sleep. 'He'll fix it in the morning,' had become a constant thought.

It wouldn't be long till Pathiel realised what was happening. The angel had been watching him when he wasn't occupied with the child. The angel would've seen Langreon ignoring those obvious parts. Pathiel was smart, not as smart as him, but smart enough.

Langreon jumped when a hand poked him, and he held back from hitting it. Pathiel stared at him with curious eyes, no doubt wondering what he was doing.

"What?" Langreon asked, and he started to shuffle the tools aside, "Need something?"

"No. I just have a question," Langreon waved his hand for him to continue, "Do you want to go back?"

Langreon snapped his head up to the angel resting on the rocking chair, "Excuse me?" the scientist questioned, and he watched as Pathiel leaned closer with a frown.

"Do you want to go back? To the Galaxians?"

"Yes," the reply was automatic.

Pathiel hummed. Before the angel could say more, the child finished it's feeding to demand attention. Langreon turned back to the suit to distract himself.

Did he want to go back? That was a question that shouldn't give him this much trouble. Langreon had a duty to the Galaxians. He was signed with them for at least forty more years, and he wasn't allowed to back out. He'd heard stories of people who tried to get out of contracts and ended up dead in front of the very families they tried to get back to.

So, did he want to go back? No. He had days to slowly consider and reconsider that question. Now, he felt he had his answer. He wanted to stay on Earth. He wanted to learn about these humans and why they were so similar to himself.

Pathiel had explained the reason angels appear as humans when Langreon asked. Since his family spent so long on Earth and connected with humans more than any other being, they began to take on their forms. It made sense. Langreon, however, hadn't met another human-like being. They weren't red like Gard or had small horns like Kolloid, but they _did_ look identical to Langreon. That is, minus all the personal shapes of jaws and many skin shades. They had the same bipedal, plain, ordinary biology.

So, did he _need_ to go back? If he were to survive, then yes. There wasn't a way that he could see to get out of abandoning the Galaxians without notice. He may have bought himself some time with deactivating the tracker, but the Expanse would find him eventually. It was only a matter of time.

The child was quiet again, and Pathiel turned back to Langreon, "Talk to me," he demanded.

"About?" Langreon took this as an excuse to stop what he was doing.

"You've been off whenever I mention going back. What's on your mind?" Pathiel seemed genuinely concerned amongst his stern tone. Langreon didn't know how to react to that or what emotion came forth. Possibly, surprise?

"It's nothing," when the angel's eyebrow raised, he backtracked, "Okay, fine. I... I don't want to go back," Langreon felt like a weight was lifted after expressing that.

"You..." Pathiel seemed both shocked, and yet unsurprised, "You don't want to go back?"

Langreon let out a sigh that deflated him physically, before he began to explain, "I've become attached to Earth. Humans are fascinating, and they live such quiet lives away from the mess that is space," Langreon stared at the shapes of his suit, contemplating as he spoke, "I know now how wrong the Expanse is. I want no part of it."

"I understand," Langreon looked up to watch how Pathiel smiled so softly, "I remember when my family helped the humans. Earth was... is a second home to me. I guess it has a way of pulling others in," Langreon hummed in agreement. Pathiel then nudged him, and the soldier watched his head tilt in such an innocent way, "Will you stay then?"

"If..." Langreon started, and he paused to breathe, "If I did... would you stay with me?"

Pathiel chuckled, and Langreon frowned at that reaction, "I don't think I have a choice. The device is still anchoring me to this plane."

"Oh, right," Langreon mumbled, "I guess that makes sense."

"But, for the child, and I suppose you," Pathiel acted exasperated and rolled his eyes for effect, "I _guess_ I could stay."

Langreon smiled slightly, and Pathiel grinned right back. He looked away to put his suit back together, and the two were silent again. The scientist steadily and carefully placed everything back where it was supposed to go.

* * *

Pathiel heard the knock first. It was quiet at first but when it came back, it was louder. The angel sat up from the rocking chair he was sleeping in, and he hoped the noise hadn't woken up the child curled next to Case. Usually, the scientist was on guard throughout the night, but it'd seemed he'd fallen asleep. Understandable, as he'd gone to town to pick up some supplies, only to come back exhausted.

The knock came again, and Pathiel whacked Case's back with a wing, "Case!" he hissed as quietly as he could.

The scientist only mumbled before he seemed to go on high alert, "Who's there?!" Case shouted in defence and shot up to his feet. The child cried at the loss of his presence, and Pathiel found himself disappointed. He should've known Case would instantly leap to defend himself. Although, it wasn't every night Pathiel woke him up.

"Uh, my name is Valerie?! I'm looking for someone!" a woman's voice called, possibly thinking the question was aimed at her. Pathiel stood up after gathering the child and calming him down. Case was already suiting himself up, ready for the worst-case scenario.

Pathiel was the first to head to the door. This Valerie didn't sound dangerous, nor did he sense any hints that this was a Galaxian soldier. Case, however, was quick to pull him back. He placed his body between Pathiel and the child, and the door. The angel supposed he was the best option to open the door, seeing as he was the one wearing a ridiculously powerful suit. Pathiel folded his wings down and back to hide them from view, knowing a human would probably freak out at the sight of them.

Case opened the door and on the other side stood a woman with a robe around her shoulders. She wasn't carrying any weapons that Pathiel could see.

"What?" Case asked sharply, and Pathiel could sense his wariness towards the stranger.

Valerie appeared relieved they even answered, "Oh, thank the moon. I'm Valerie like I said before. I believe you have the- oh!" Valerie spotted the child in Pathiel's arms and stepped towards him. Case instantly moved Pathiel behind him.

The stranger locked eyes with Case and seemed to realise her mistake, backing off with a step, "Sorry."

"You're looking for?" Pathiel prompted, and he got a glare from Case for speaking. Tough. The angel wanted answers.

"The child, him," Valerie pointed to the human who looked happy to see another person, "Or rather, the last phoenix."

"Phoenix?" they both spoke, but the soldier was the one to continue, "You must be mistaken, this is a human child, not this 'phoenix' you speak of."

Pathiel looked down at the child, as Valerie continued hurriedly, "I swear he is! Listen, I'm, uh... okay," she waved a hand and seemed to decide her next words carefully, "I'm a witch. More specifically, I'm a descendant of a long line of witches dedicated to protecting the last phoenix," she pointed to the child yet again, "We want what's best for him."

Pathiel turned the child so the little being faced him, and the 'human' giggled as he did so. The angel looked closely at the child, something he's done before, but never to find out what he really was. He will admit the little one was warmer than he remembered humans being. And if he thought back to when they found him, he _was_ surrounded by ashes. That was something commonly linked with phoenixes and their deaths.

Pathiel remembered hearing stories from his Father about phoenixes - how they were similar to humans in every way except their affinity with fire. He remembered how there used to be thousands with three lives each with rebirth as their strongest attribute.

As Pathiel stared at the child, he could see something light up in his honey brown eyes. Subconsciously, the angel was scanning and checking the child for any similarities to the phoenixes. He couldn't find any until the child reacted to his core's soft search. A spark bounced from the child's hands when he clapped them in happiness. Pathiel's shirt caught aflame.

This promptly shut the other two adults up, both arguing about the truth, when he yelped and shoved the child into Case's arms. He smacked the fire and managed to put it out with the stench of burning fabric filling the room. He rested his hands on his knees, head bowed as he caught his breath.

"See? Phoenix," Valerie sounded smug, and the child giggled.

"Are you alright, Pathiel?" Case, however, sounded worried, and Pathiel looked up to see him holding the child awkwardly with this new information.

"Yep," the angel replied before he nodded to the _phoenix,_ "I don't know how I didn't sense it before, but I guess, I wasn't really looking. He's a phoenix, fire and all," Pathiel then straightened up with a whine, "And we didn't decide on a name."

"That's your concern?"

"Listen, you two," Valerie grabbed their attention. The two realised she'd invited herself indoors and shut the door behind her, "And, carefully. I don't know how he's the last one left, or how the hell you have wings without an aviation potion-" Pathiel retracted his wings sheepishly after realising they spanned out in his freak out, "But, you two aren't ordinary humans. So, firstly, what the hell _are_ you two and why are you here? And secondly, that child is under my protection and unless you have a damn good reason to keep him, I need him back."

Pathiel glanced over at Case who was steadily growing tense at her speech. He seemed to get protective at her last words, holding the child close and backing away. However, the angel was unsure. He had learnt to love the child, even started brainstorming names for him, and didn't want to leave him. But, maybe it needed a better home where it could live a normal life. Minus the phoenix part, of course.

"If you're his protector," Case started with an accusatory tone, "Why was he alone in the forest?"

Valerie winced visibly, "Right, that fiasco."

"Explain," Pathiel demanded, and Case's words made sense to him. Why did they find the child alone, surrounded by ashes, and crying?

"I protect him, that is true. But who I protect him from..." Valerie paused before she clicked her tongue, "Alright, long story short, there's another witch that kills this phoenix each time he reaches his twenties. That is when his death produces the most ashes. He calls himself 'The Deceitful One,' or just Deceit to anyone who doesn't care about his title. He's lived for years, all because he's discovered how to create longevity potions using the phoenix's ashes. He won't share that knowledge, and he doesn't care who he has to fight to get the phoenix ashes."

"Wait," Case interrupted, "If that's true, then you're either really bad at protecting, or this guy really good at his job."

Valerie levelled a stare at Case, and Pathiel raised an eyebrow. It was a good point. The child was found in ashes so he must've died in his... past life?

"Deceit sent me to the other side of the globe at the end of our battle, but I managed to get a counterspell on him. I landed somewhere in Australia and managed to get back in about a week. He would've landed in Malaysia and may have more trouble getting back with his wound. The phoenix, unfortunately, was wounded heavily, and he would've bled out."

Pathiel wasn't familiar with those names, but he nodded either way. He watched the shame eating at the witch as she explained how the phoenix would've died. It sounded like a horrible way to go, and painful. He felt bad for the phoenix.

"So Deceit is gone?" Case wondered and Valerie was quick to shake her head.

"Not for long. He'll be back. He won't go after the phoenix until he reaches his twenties, because he still wants the most ashes he can. Plus, I don't think even _he_ has the guts to kill a kid," the witch reached out to the phoenix and Case backed away. She retracted her hand, and her gaze wandered to Pathiel's wings for the third time since they appeared. The angel decided to put her curiosity to rest.

"My name is Pathiel," he explained, and he reached out a hand for a handshake, a gesture he remembered was popular on Earth, "I am an angel. And this is Case, he's from space."

Valerie, who had started to shake his hand, looked stunned, "You're... a what?"

"Pathiel," Case growled through gritted teeth, and the angel waved away his guarded personality. Valerie wasn't hostile. The angel could tell.

"An angel, but not the same as you've been told. Do you have time for a chat? I think we should talk more before we make any decisions about the phoenix."

* * *

Roman kept his hands surfaced under warm water in Patton's bathtub, his clothes were soaked and burnt away from the earlier flames. How did this all go so wrong?

It started with playfully acting out Romeo and Juliet in front of Virgil and his criticisms. When he grabbed the other to start a scene, he didn't expect the fire to come into play. It had erupted from his arms and burnt the hand he was holding, sending Virgil hunching in pain. Roman had quickly run into the bathroom, locked it and ran a tub of cold water when the fire wasn't going out. It had spread to his back and lept from his spine like wings, getting worse the longer he let it go unchecked. He was scared, and the water was getting warmer from the heat as he laid in it.

Soon, Virgil knocked on the door and spoke quietly, "Roman, let me in."

"You're awfully calm for someone who got burnt," Roman shot back bitterly, and he lifted a hand to grab the side of the tub. His arm steamed as the water hissed away and fire took its place. He shoved his hand back into the water quickly. The water numbed it to the point of aching. He guessed there was no denying the phoenix thing now.

"Roman-"

"Go away!" Roman shouted back. He found himself wishing he could text Patton, but his phone was still in the guest room.

Virgil went quiet, and maybe he was actually leaving him alone. The sound of clinking followed by the doorknob turning said otherwise. Soon enough, Virgil was standing in the opened doorway holding a small metal object lined with weird markings. The emo pocketed it before stepping over. Roman looked away to hide his guilt as his friend kneeled.

"I didn't know 'go away' meant pick the lock," Roman grumbled and he brought his knees up to hug them as he sat up. The water was steamed off and fire sprung up once again. Virgil was the one who shoved them under water. The emo winced at the heat, but he gritted past it.

"Unless you want to burn Patton's house to the ground, keep everything submerged."

Roman caught Virgil pulling out his phone to text someone after wiping the water off on his ripped jeans. The way he was acting was too calm. He had been surprised when Roman burnt him, but now he was typing too quickly to someone.

"Why aren't you freaking out?"

"I am," Virgil snapped, and he looked at Roman with sharp, near-black eyes, "You could've burnt the house down. You're lucky you know your water weakness."

"But why aren't you afraid?"

"I'd be a pretty bad protector if I was scared of the one I'm protecting," Virgil drawled, and he went back to typing. Roman got frustrated, and when he tried to sit up again, the emo just shoved him back down with his injured hand on his chest. Virgil now texted with one shaking hand. He didn't trust the phoenix after his multiple attempts to leave.

Roman huffed and frowned when Virgil put his phone aside, "Who was that?"

"My mother," Virgil answered, and he began to stand up, "I need to get some things from my place, and you need to stay here."

"Virgil," Roman grabbed the hand lifting from his chest, and Virgil eyed him, but paused nonetheless, "You're... why aren't you at the least a bit afraid? This isn't normal, and you're acting like it is."

Virgil pulled away when Roman's hand stopped steaming, not looking forward to the next stage. Roman immediately put his hand back under, and the emo stopped when he got to the door.

Virgil sent him what was meant to be a comforting smile, "I'll explain when I get back. Don't move."

"Hard not to," Roman muttered and Virgil left him alone. The phoenix was stuck with water up to his neck because apparently, the fire doesn't pass there. It had _standards_, which was nice to know.

Roman had to run cold water into the tub a few times since Virgil left - a muffled engine noise sounding through the walls. It was difficult and every time he sat up, those fiery wings were tempted to spring out. He was about halfway through draining the warm water while running the colder part when a sharp pain shot at the back of his eyes. He quickly turned off the water and squeezed his eyes shut. The pain only continued, getting warmer, and he was afraid of what that meant.

Roman heard Virgil's car through the walls, and he was glad someone else would be here with him. His eyes were getting worse, and he didn't dare to open them incase the worst happened. He heard a door open, close, and footsteps came closer, along with some tinkling sounds.

"I'm back, and you didn't move? Surprising," Virgil's voice came, and Roman heard things being set down.

"I'd be stupid to," Roman kept his eyes shut, and Virgil seemed to notice and stopped his movements.

Shuffling came before the emo sounded closer, "Are your eyes hurting?"

"How'd you know?" Roman hissed when a particularly sharp pain came to his right eye. He covered it before quickly moving his hands back into the water, "It hurts a lot."

"Alright, you're going to have to trust me here," Virgil said calmly, and Roman frowned, "You need to open them."

"No," Roman snapped, and the pain grew, "I have no idea what'll happen! What if I blow the roof straight off?! I have no idea what this means! Are my eyes burning away?! Because no thank you, I'd rather not be blind!" a few choice words slipped out in Spanish, and Virgil surprisingly didn't interrupt.

"You done?" Virgil brought his hands to the sides of Roman's face, and he probably looked awkward with the edge of the tub in the way, "You're not going to blow off the roof if you open your eyes. Your body needs to release the fire, not push it down. The water is helping your body. It's putting it out as soon as it appears. But, pushing down the fire in your eyes won't help. It will only get worse. Trust me, and open your eyes."

Roman worried his lip a bit before he spoke with no real malice, "If you burn to a crisp, I'll make your death look like an accident, and graffiti 'I told you so' on your tombstone."

"You won't hurt me, idiot," Virgil sounded fond, "And stop stalling."

Roman winced at a sharper pain to his left eye. He psyched himself up, before he opened his eyes quickly. Immediately, fire lept from his eyes, and an ombre of orange and yellow swamped his vision. It soon cleared, and Roman was left staring at the ceiling.

"Virgil?" Roman questioned when he noticed a distinct lack of emo. He started to worry. Did he just reduce one of his friend to ashes?

That worry left when a head popped up, followed by a torso being pushed up by heavy arms. Virgil blew his messed up bangs out of his eyes, and Roman couldn't help but laugh at the singed side of his hair. He'll have to get that fixed by a stylist.

"Yeah, ha ha," Virgil mocked, "You could've warned me."

"Sorry," Roman breathed out, and the emo moved away from him.

Roman noticed how the pain had left, a constant pulse of something numb remaining. Virgil reappeared, and he still looked dazed as he cradled a bottle that looked like it came straight from a witch's hut. Blue liquid was shifting inside with a slow way of moving.

"And now to explain."

Roman couldn't help blurting, "What is _that?_"

Virgil sent him an unimpressed look, "I'm explaining," that made Roman go quiet as he continued, "This is a fire resistant potion. Lame name but that's what mother calls it. This will let me touch you when you go all 'fire-boy.'"

"Potion?"

"_I_," Virgil stressed to shut Roman up, and it worked, "Am a witch," he then mumbled with bitterness, "Though, mage is a more appropriate term, _mother_," before he continued, "And, I come from a long line of witches who are dedicated to protecting the last living phoenix; you."

Roman blinked. Once, twice, and then, he shrieked, "What?!" Water splashed as he sat up, but he didn't care. Since when was his friend a witch?

"Oh, wow, you're only half surprised," Virgil stated sarcastically before he brought the potion to his lips and proceeded to down half the bottle. His skin started to gain a blue tint, barely noticeable unless you were in close proximity. Then, Roman's own started to produce fire. Virgil set the potion aside and pushed him back down. Roman noticed his hand was no longer an angry red like it had been from earlier.

"Your hand-"

"I healed it at home," Virgil ducked a bit to grab something as he spoke, "Though I did it without a potion, so who's really the witch here," he mumbled and brought back a hand-held mirror covered in silver vines, "I think you'll want to see this," he spun it, so Roman could see himself.

The phoenix's eyes were bright. He could still see the honey brown, but now a pattern of pulsating fire covered the surronding area like a mask. Accents of gold lined it, and it seemed to be purely organic, as if raised from his skin. It appeared stuck between being a solid and the odd state of fire.

"What's that?" Roman asked quickly, and he touched the shifting shapes. They didn't react but he could feel a warmth emitting from it, stronger than he felt all over.

"That's what happens when you hold back the fire. It's a scar of sorts, but it'll go away in a few hours," Virgil explained, and he watched Roman return his hand to the water. The emo set the mirror aside to come back empty handed.

"What do I do now?"

"You wait," Virgil muttered, crossing his arms on the side of the bathtub to place his chin on them, "This is your first burst, as mother calls it, so it'll be stronger," he then frowned, "But, I have to know, why aren't _you_ freaking out? You're very chill for someone who just spontaneously combusted."

Roman glanced away with a shrug, "I kinda knew, it's not the first time. I'm a phoenix, right?"

Virgil raised his eyebrows in surprise, and he stated a simple, "Yes."

"It explains why I keep setting things on fire."

"Yeah, that's the signs of a burst coming up," Virgil told him, and he shuffled to get comfortable. Roman moved the water around, watching it ripple as it pushed against him.

"What did you mean by mage?"

"Oh," Virgil chuckled, "You heard that?"

"It was easy to. You were really close," Roman pointed out which made Virgil roll his eyes in such a 'whatever' way.

"Well, I don't think I fit the term 'witch' very well. They stick to the potion side of magic while I have a gift for more," he explained, and to demonstrate, he lifted a hand to wave it around. Purple fog followed it, trailing light blue sparks that fell into nothingness, "So, mage would fit me better as I can preform verbal spells too. Although, my family would prefer I stick to potions," Virgil dropped his hand where it had been aimlessly floating around with the visible magic.

"That's stupid."

"Yeah," Virgil laughed, "That's what I said."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roman: You will protect me? That's laughable.  
Virgil, carrying 300 potions, a spraygun, a magic book and a scowl to kill: Watch me.


	8. Remain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valerie explains herself and offers a better place for the two to stay. Langreon expresses himself more. Virgil and Roman finally get their well-deserved rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so nice! :')
> 
> Translation:  
Mi pajarito: My little bird
> 
> Warnings: Memory problems maybe? If you find any, tell me please?

When Pathiel explained he was an angel, and the differences to Earth lore, Langreon had listened intently. He hadn't heard the full story, only what the humans got wrong and a few details when they were needed.

Pathiel and his family had come to Earth when the humans were developing into what they called the 'stone age.' They left when humans became too reliant on them. 'God' had to leave and let them move forward on their own. Pathiel appeared to remember the phoenixes, but he was never allowed to see them. The angels disappeared, and Pathiel learnt the phoenixes did too.

Langreon didn't say much about himself, only that he was a soldier who worked for the Galaxian Expanse. He was dumped on Earth when he had grabbed the angel mid transport. That was when they found the child. Valerie seemed to pick up on the fact that he didn't want to continue. He didn't want to say how he nearly killed Pathiel for what he'd done - for he was glad he didn't.

Valerie wasn't hostile, true to Pathiel's judgement. She wanted to the phoenix to live a happy and long life - something she'd shown when keeping her distance to ease Langreon. She explained the child's previous life and expressed worry about Deceit. She then shared small details.

The previous phoenix tended to procrastinate and generally didn't like working for long. He was adventurous and usually took Valerie on little explorations to avoid working. She had lost him in the forest after they went exploring, and that was how Deceit got to him alone. They had fought for so long.

Nate was named after Valerie's father who was killed in a magic experiment, and her mother wanted to honour him. Nate was like a brother to her until this happened. The new phoenix won't remember her, as no new life remembered their previous ones.

Langreon watched Pathiel as he placed a hand on her arm. His other found its way in Langreon's when the angel needed a grounding presence. The angel's eyes flashed white, and the scientist was sure he was sending pure sympathy to her.

Pathiel sent Langreon a look, and he realised he'd been tightening his grip on the angel's hand. When he loosened it, Pathiel didn't pull away and instead sent him a wave of comfort through their linked hands.

"Can I please hold him?" Valerie asked suddenly.

Langreon went to deny her when Pathiel answered, "Of course."

"What? No," the soldier snapped, and the child, currently on a pile of blankets in the rocking chair, giggled, "You might take off with him, and I won't let you."

Valerie frowned, and Pathiel pulled him closer to mutter, "Case, you're being a bit harsh."

"Am I?" Langreon asked uncaringly before he nodded to the witch, "She came for the phoenix. Who is to say she won't run off with him?"

"I won't," Valerie got a look of doubt, which she shuffled under, "It's true I did come for the phoenix, but witches don't raise him. We usually find a suitable carer. And it seems he has. I only want to hold the phoenix I've let down, one last time," she deflated physically, and Pathiel was instantly back to sending her comforting looks. The angel was hooked, and maybe it had affected Langreon's final decision.

"So, he stays with us?" at Valerie's nod, Langreon huffed, "Fine."

Valerie stared in surprise, and when Langreon waved an arm at the child, she took no time to race over to him. Pathiel tugged his hand to gain his attention, and the scientist was greeted with a soft smile. He felt himself growing fond of such a smile. It was one that told him Pathiel was happy, and Langreon had caused it.

"Thanks," then Pathiel let go to head to Valerie.

Langreon's lips twitched before he pushed it down into a stoic facade. The witch was cradling the phoenix close, and she was speaking words that didn't sound to be the human's language, 'English.' Maybe it was a witch language, but the scientist was instantly curious about what she was saying.

"_Mi pajarito, _hello again," Valerie whispered to him, and the child seemed confused as to why this person was acting as if she knew him. At least, that's what Langreon imagined.

Pathiel smiled, and let the phoenix grip his finger, "We haven't named him yet. I'm guessing they don't come with one when they're reborn?" the angel joked.

Valerie giggled, "No. We normally assign a name to help keep track of them. You know Nate was from my mother to honour a memory. That's usually how it goes."

Pathiel hummed in interest, and Langreon found himself leaning on the wall behind him to watch, "Do you have a name in mind?"

"Elliott," Valerie stated, "After my cousin."

"I don't like it," Langreon piped up, and the two turned to him.

"Tough, Case," Pathiel raised an eyebrow, and the scientist couldn't avoid those feisty blue eyes, "The protector names the phoenix. That's how they do it on Earth."

"No, it's okay," Valerie said quickly, "You two will be with him most of the time. You'll have to like it too. Usually, we don't meet the carers to debate a name, but this seems to be a special case."

Langreon couldn't resist sending Pathiel a smug look, and the angel sent him a glare before turning back to the witch, "Any other names then?"

"I have a few. They do have to honour a memory," Valerie thought hard as she stared at the phoenix. Her face grew soft and a slight smile overtook it, "Roman. He was my first husband. He, uh," she didn't look comfortable to explain what happened, so she moved on, "He has his sweet brown eyes. And, I'm sure he'll grow to be just as romantic. Yes, he looks like a Roman."

Pathiel seemed to instantly love the name, but Langreon noticed how he glanced to him for confirmation. The scientist hummed, and he tested the word on his tongue once.

Langreon shrugged, "It's significantly better than Elliot."

"Case!"

"Roman it is," Valerie nodded before she addressed the child, "Hello, Roman," she cooed, and Pathiel smiled wide. Roman squealed in delight, and Langreon found his heart melting at the sound. Humans were weird, but phoenixes were enchanting.

* * *

"You can't live here," Valerie stated, and Pathiel frowned at her words which made her explain, "It's not fit for a child."

"We have nowhere else to go," Pathiel mumbled, "We're kinda stranded."

"You can stay in the beach house I own with my partner. We usually use it during summer but seeing as you guys need a proper place, and a shower," Valerie pointed out, which made the two think about how long it's been since they've cleaned up, "You can use that place. It has a baby room too. It's for my son, but I'm sure he won't mind."

"You have a child?"

"I do," she smiled, "Virgil's about a year old now. He's going to be the one protecting Roman when he's older. The first male in a long line of female witches, it's going to be interesting."

"The beach house?" Case prompted, and he appeared to be getting tired of interacting with a planet native.

Pathiel spoke up a bit nervously, "Uh, I feel like this is intruding on-"

"I'm going to stop you there," Valerie interrupted Pathiel with a hand raised, "I'll work something out with my partner, but you two need a place to stay if you're going to be Roman's carers. You can't be here when it's off the grid and in no way your property," Valerie then nodded at their surroundings, "So, grab your things and we'll get going. I'll wait outside with Roman."

"Okay..." Pathiel mumbled reluctantly and for once Case didn't say anything about her taking Roman. The angel looked over to the scientist who headed to the empty bags to start packing up everything.

Pathiel realised this was the first time they were alone without the child. They usually tried to avoid pettily arguing in front of him, and the last time they were without him was when they first landed. The angel moved to pick up the blankets from the chair, and he took them to where Case was.

"I," Case started once Pathiel was closer. Both stopped their movements, as he turned to the angel. Pathiel was surprised at the pure sincerity coming from the scientist.

When Case didn't continue, Pathiel touched his arm and felt a wave of nervousness that hit him hard, "Case, why are so you so nervous?"

"Because, I believe there's something that needs to be said," Case rushed out, and he stared straight into the angel's eyes as he said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what happened with the Jargurs, and with your family. And, I'm especially sorry for how the Galaxians treated you. I wish I knew what I knew now, I could've done something."

"It's okay," Pathiel saw how Case brushed his words away, and he continued to radiate guilt, "Case, I'm serious here."

"It's really not. You may never go home again, thanks to them," Case was referring to the device near Pathiel's core, "I'm sorry about that too."

Pathiel pulled his hand away to poke Case's jaw, turning his head to him, "Thanks for apologising, Case. I'll be okay. Angels are pretty good at making homes on weird planets," he was only half-joking. Two of his sisters had stayed on a foreign planet and built a house for themselves. They visited their home dimension to keep connected, but they were able to exist comfortably with each other. They never felt alone.

Pathiel thought he would've missed his home more, and he does, _ greatly._ But, he can't help but notice he hadn't felt alone in a while. Case seemed to always be there, and when he was out, the child would keep him company. Case never left him for too long.

"I still feel..." Case seemed apprehensive, and Pathiel waited for him to find the words, "Bad. Like everything I did before was a brainwashed soldier, and I've only now been shown what my actions truely did to others. I figured I'd start by apologising."

"You released my wings?"

"I know, but that was more to study them," Case mumbled, a bit embarrassed. Pathiel realised how much Case had grown since they met. He'd opened up and, maybe this was the scientist part of him that wanted to learn everything but, he'd listened more too. He'd listen to what Pathiel said about the Jargurs, the humans, and the Expanse, and he _l__earnt _from it.

"Thank you, Case," Pathiel smiled, and Case seemed to be relieved.

"And if I'm separating myself from the Galaxians, then you should probably know that 'Case' is just a codename."

"What?!" Pathiel gaped, and Case chuckled at the reaction.

"My actual name is Langreon."

Pathiel blinked at Case - Langreon in surprise, "Langreon?"

"Hi," Langreon cheekily said, with a smile present, "I think Case should die along with my commitment to the Galaxians."

Pathiel felt excited that Langreon both apologised, expressed himself and trusted him all in one swoop. The angel could practically hear his core singing in happiness and Langreon appeared in a different light to him now. He wasn't only Case, a soldier, and a scientist, anymore. He was now Langreon, a friend and a partner in raising the last phoenix. He felt like a person, more alive than before.

"You've got it, Langreon," Pathiel couldn't help but say his name again.

Langreon laughed at that, before he turned to the bags and their supplies, continuing to pack them away. Pathiel helped him, and if they worked closer than before, they didn't acknowledge it.

* * *

Logan sat on his floor in front of his closet staring sleepily at the mysterious outfit in front of him. The high-tech suit was waiting for him to do something. He'd come home from the Fan's Domain event hours ago, and he'd slept almost immediately. Louder social situations tended to tire him out more than the smaller social gatherings, so he was unbelievably exhausted.

When Logan woke from a nightmare full of gunfire, he had a strong sensation to get out the suit. He didn't do anything more than stare at it. What was this thing? It was so foreign to him, yet it seemed familiar. He wasn't sure who gave it to him or how it got there.

Didn't he have parents?

Logan rubbed his eyes under his glasses and stood up - only to sit back down. He didn't want to leave the suit, but he felt like he should be doing something. He _ shouldn't _ put it on, but that was where his mind was heading. It looked to be his size, and he had kept up with his exercises for the sake of healthiness, so luckily it wouldn't be too big on his leaner frame. _ Luckily? _

Logan picked up the suit and stood to carry it to the full body mirror that resided in the corner of his room, lined with stars. He didn't put it on but he did hold it to his body to take a look. It did suit him. It'd fit...

Logan quickly took it back to the closet and shoved it back inside rather harshly, shutting the doors a bit too hard. He flopped back onto his bed, removed his glasses and willed the thoughts of the suit away.

Mary and John were his parents.

* * *

"Alright, princess, time to get out," Virgil stated when he noticed the flames weren't appearing anymore. The waving hand stopped, and Roman frowned at what he said. When the phoenix saw his arm had dried off without the appearance of flames, he smiled brightly.

"Finally! I wasn't looking forward to staying here overnight," Roman stood up, and Virgil had to back away to avoid being splashed.

The mage, not witch, put his half-empty fire-resistant potion into the container he brought marked 'phoenix care.' It held everything he needed when dealing with Roman - including a bunch of spells written in a notebook, and a few potions for various needs. It'd help to keep everything Roman touched from burning to ashes.

Roman went to step out when he paused at the water dripping from him and the ruined clothes, "Uh-"

"I'll get you dry clothes. Don't soak the bathroom while I'm gone," Virgil held the container close as he asked, "I'm guessing your clothes are in the guest room?"

"Yep," Roman confirmed, and he was busy with ringing out the front of his shirt to make it lighter. Virgil left after he said that, and went to retrieve some clothes.

Virgil was glad his mother prepared him enough to know what to do in case of a burst. He was nervous at first and when he texted his mother, he was shaking out of fear that he'd screw it up. Roman was counting on him, whether he knew how important having a protector was or not. The mage was not looking forward to inevitably meeting Deceit.

Virgil set the container on the love seat in the room, and he headed to the drawers in search for clothes. He lifted a tank top with the words 'gay idiot' on the front, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud. He was definitely making Roman wear that. He grabbed what looked like a pair of harem pants and the first pair of boxers he saw. Of course, why wouldn't Roman have musical-themed everything?

Virgil headed back to the bathroom with the clothes and set them beside the sink. He paused before opening the cupboards under it, and he was relieved to find spare towels.

When he brought one out, Roman made grabby hands like an absolute child, "Gimme, I'm dying for dry clothes."

"'Thanks, Virgil! For everything you've done and more,'" Virgil said sarcastically, but he handed the towel over despite his bitterness. Roman immediately started drying his hair, and the mage noticed he'd drained the tub while he was gone.

"Thanks, emo," Roman dragged out, and Virgil waved away the mock gratitude.

"Alright, fine. I'll be in the guest room hogging the bed, just get changed," Virgil didn't wait for a reply and walked back out to where he left his stuff. He laid on the bed and grabbed the red blanket Roman had left behind when he was re-enacting Romeo and Juliet.

Virgil felt a strong sense of protectiveness towards Roman. The phoenix was in danger and not just from Deceit. Roman needed to learn how to come to terms with all he could do, so he doesn't expose himself to the less than accepting humans. The mage was a bit worried he wouldn't be up to the task.

Roman was a bright man, a bit eccentric but radiant in both mind and physicality. He was... attractive to Virgil, and there was many who'd love to snuff that flame out if they knew the power he held. Since kidnapping the phoenix and hiding him in a bunker decked out with protective spells was out of the question, he'd have to learn how to accommodate for looking after Roman in his life.

"Haha, very funny choosing this top," Roman muttered as he walked in with an annoyed hunch in his back. Virgil smirked at the words that stared back at him, and he willed away a fluster at the sight of the man. He wasn't carrying his wet clothes, and Virgil reasoned he either dumped them in the sink or wrung them out and took them to the laundry as he should've done.

"What? Are you denying your sexuality now? So unlike you."

"I'm denying the idiot part," Roman grumbled as he made his way over to the bed, dropping beside the emo, "I am no idiot."

"You're a gay idiot though," Virgil pointed out, and he didn't say anything about Roman moving closer, "Gay idiots are idiots but gayer."

Roman just hummed in response, and his honey brown eyes drooped a bit. The scar was still present, appearing angry that it was pushed down by its host. Virgil found himself turning on his side, and he touched the scar to feel its surface. It was warm, but not scorching thanks to the fire-resistant potion still in effect.

"How long until this goes away?" Roman asked, and he stared at the emo from where he laid on his stomach.

"Not sure, but it should be gone by morning," Virgil couldn't say the exact time as he didn't know how long Roman had been resisting it. Valerie said it was about an hour to every twenty minutes or something of the sorts.

Roman hummed again, and he closed his eyes, "And are you staying here for the night?"

"I'll have to text Patton, but I can if you need it."

Roman shrugged awkwardly from his position, and his hands came up to rest under his head. Virgil resumed touching the scar when he was comfortable. It was a sign of Roman pushing back who he was, but he couldn't deny how beautiful it was.

Virgil had to pull away to send Patton a text but when he came back, Roman was quick to cling to him. He found it uncomfortable at first as he hadn't cuddled much in his lifetime, but he supposed now that he had two very physical friends, this may happen a lot.

The two ended up shuffling into a position they both felt comfortable with. This ended up being on their sides, facing each other with Virgil's arm around Roman's waist and his hands inside Virgil's unzipped hoodie.

Roman was like a heater, and Virgil knew he'd regret sleeping beside a phoenix who'd just had his first burst. The potion would wear off, and Roman would feel hotter, but Virgil found he didn't care at the moment. That was a future problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pathiel: Stay?  
Roman: Stay?  
Langreon and Virgil: You clingy gays, of course.


	9. Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Langreon, Pathiel and Valerie move to the house near the beach and have a chat. Patton opens the box.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHH-
> 
> Warnings: Fear of the ocean and worries that come with it, including drowning and deep water creatures, doubt in oneself and their life.

Valerie had walked them to the edge of the forest where it seemed to be connected to a park. Langreon noticed Pathiel was trying is best to hide his wings, but unless he planned on facing everyone directly, it would not work. Valerie spotted his predicament and seemed to light up with an idea.

"We're going to make it look like we're going LARPing," Valerie had said, as she began to direct how the wings should go, "Just remember to keep them in that position."

That was how they managed to pass through the park and to the street without raising much suspicion. Whenever they passed humans enjoying the light of day, Valerie made sure to announce, "I think the events this way!"

A couple had stopped them to ask if they could get a picture with such a cool costume. Langreon was awkwardly thrown into what they called a 'selfie,' as Pathiel only smiled at the small device they used. It was a weird experience and the scientist was looking forward to never going back.

Valerie's car was a four-seater and had two seats folded down in the back. Langreon remembered seeing cars when he'd gone into town for supplies. Pathiel was more interested, as he was examining every part of it. He told the two about how they didn't necessarily have these types of cars when he was around. He dropped the subject before the two could continue his train of thought.

Valerie buckled Roman into a small seat attached to the... seat. Langreon stared in confusion at her actions. Why put another seat on a seat? Why do humans need so many seats? Or, was this a witch thing?

Pathiel yelped in pain and Langreon forgot about debating the merits of double seats. He immediately rushed to the left side of the car to find the angel trying to get in without sitting on or breaking his wings. The scientist watched as the wings folded close but ended up in an awkward position once inside. He winced and reached out to stop Pathiel's squirming.

"Stop, you're only making it worse," Langreon pushed the wings down to get the angel out smoother. When Pathiel emerged, he looked annoyed with a death glare pointed at the car.

"I hate cars."

"But, before you were staring at it in wonder?"

"That's _ before. _I didn't realise they're this small."

Langreon sighed in utter exasperation at how the angel was acting. He gave Pathiel a look before he analysed the car and how the angel could get inside comfortably. He knew the structure of the wings, not to mention the massage he'd given him a few days ago helped him figure out which way they could move. He finally decided on a method and begun to direct Pathiel.

The angel was a bit hard to work with at first, as every brush Langreon did against the feathers made the wings either jerk away or flutter. Eventually, they figured out a system and Langreon was able to help. The right wing went first and soon Pathiel was inside. Pathiel had to brush a few feathers from under him, but once he was in, he was able to sort out a better way to sit.

Pathiel was smiling excitedly as Langreon tucked the last of his feathers in and closed the door. He then got in the spare seat at the front next to Valerie, who was already behind the wheel.

"Alright, seatbelts on?" the witch grinned and the two space beings gave her a confused look, "You do know what- oh right. Space people," Valerie leaned around Langreon and grabbed a strap, pulling it from the wall as she moved back, "This goes around you and clips into here," she demonstrated by clicking the 'belt' into a small holder. Langreon instantly felt it tighten around him and he must've looked freaked out because Valerie was quick to reassure him, "Don't worry. If we crash, that'll prevent you from most injuries."

Langreon blinked in confusion, "Instead of developing a better way to prevent crashes, you humans only lessen the pain?"

Valerie shrugged, and Pathiel was clicked in after she had leaned back to show him. She had only half heard what Langreon said, making the soldier huff before he directed his gaze outside.

Valerie started the car, and they began to move.

The car ride was quiet towards the front, but in the back, Pathiel was talking to Roman as the child started to slowly babble back. Roman had been growing immensely and Langreon was surprised at the growth of humans. His childhood lasted a year before he learnt how to speak, let alone crawl. Humans moved too fast for him, in development and lifestyle.

"It's a good thing this isn't the right season for beaches," Valerie mumbled before she seemed to remember something and asked, "Oh, you two were enemies, then friends, right? Ever think about anything more? Are gay relationships even a thing in space?"

"What?" Langreon frowned, and he noticed the sly smile on Valerie's lips, "Obviously, I _ think. _It's not like I walk around not thinking. And, what are 'gay relationships?'"

"Oh my god," Valerie breathed, before she giggled, "'Gay' is when someone likes the same gender as themselves. And a 'relationship' is-"

"I know what relationships are," Langreon crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, "I've read the dictionary. At least, most of it."

Valerie shot him an impressed look, but the cheeky smile remained, "I'm honestly not surprised."

Langreon waved it away to go back to what he learnt, "Why are genders the focus of the word 'gay?'"

"Well," Valerie looked momentarily uncomfortable as she paused at a branching of roads, "We, humans, have a history of being a bit narrow. Black people, gays, women, there's been a lot of instances where the other 'side' is considered superior. We've grown, but there's still a lot of discrimination amongst us. I guess I'm asking whether they are, or were, considered wrong up there?"

Langreon only felt more confused, "Humans hate each other? Earth sounds like a very sad place."

"Hey," Valerie lifted a hand to poke Langreon shoulder, "We have our moments."

Langreon resisted the urge to slap the hand away from that touch, as his instincts told him to. He was beginning to think maybe the others weren't overly physical, maybe he was a bit too closed off and defensive. He needed to look further into that.

"To answer your question, 'gay' is not a thing in space," Langreon watched the scenery as it changed from large buildings, smaller, then to a countryside view, "We do have genders, but they've never gotten in the way. I know many brave men, women, and neutrals who live with same-gendered lovers without issues."

"You call non-binary people neutrals?" Valerie tsked, and she tapped the wheel once, "Well, I don't know how ours would feel about that."

Langreon muttered the word 'non-binary' twice, and he found it interesting on his tongue. Humans were weird.

"If it helps," Pathiel piped up, and Langreon turned his head to the angel's voice, "My family believes humans needed to go through those hardships to see how much bigger the world could be when you accept one another."

"Thanks, Pathiel," Valerie stated, but she looked a bit conflicted. Pathiel grinned and went back to entertaining the child. Langreon leaned on the window, and he watched the scenery once again.

Langreon smiled slightly, "I do think Earth is rather pretty."

"It is," Valerie agreed, "When it's not covered in smog," the witch then turned into a long, busy road, and she started to speed up to match the speed of the other cars. Langreon settled in for a long ride.

* * *

Pathiel stared over the cliff and into the water. His hand came up to let him nibble on a nail. He hadn't seen the ocean in so long. It was a dangerous place as some angels had drowned in them due to their wings soaking up the water and dragging them down. In such a frantic, chilling environment, they were unable to transport back in time before they were killed by those dangerous animals they never understood.

Valerie was explaining how the beach house was down the side and a little to the right. She held Roman in one arm as she pointed. Langreon nodded along to her words and asked a question that was no doubt eating him up. Pathiel could see the decorative cobblestone path that led to the house and the distant shape of it. It seemed nice.

Then the roaring of the waves was loud in his ears and pulled him back to the view. Some water crashed against the side of the cliff, and he swore he could feel the ground shake. He needed to calm down.

A hand landed on Pathiel's shoulder, and he jumped slightly. Langreon frowned, "You look worried. What's troubling you?"

"It's nothing," Pathiel mumbled, and he backed away from the edge as a smile appeared, "Let's go then!"

Langreon frowned for a second, but he followed along without another word. Valerie began to lead the two down the stone steps and along the cobblestone path. She talked about her family, her friends and how they loved this place. Pathiel got a bit worried they were intruding on her life but she combated it with kinder words. She had told her husband where she was, and the fact that they'd be staying there, and he was okay with it. 'Anything for the lone phoenix,' seemed to be her family's motto.

"Over there is the surf equipment," Valerie pointed at a small shack as they neared the house. Pathiel took one look at them, saw the poster outside of a person out on the water, and cringed. He would not be doing that.

Langreon, however, looked interested, "Fascinating."

"And this is the house!" Valerie presented the building with a wave and a large grin. It was a very open styled place with floor to ceiling windows. It had two stories and a verandah with a swinging piece of fabric tied to two bolted poles. Odd.

Langreon hummed in approval, and Pathiel felt himself smile in glee. Ocean aside, this place looked very homely and would be decent to live in.

"Let's go then," Valerie walked up the steps, stopping to stand higher and grab a key from the top of the door frame. Roman whined at being shifted but calmed down as the door opened.

The four moved in. Pathiel had tucked his wings as he entered, and two looked around in interest. Langreon stopped at a bookshelf he spotted against the wall, and Pathiel ended up staring out at the view. Behind the glass, inside, he could appreciate how pretty the ocean was when the sense of doom wasn't right in front of him.

Langreon looked up from where he was flipping through a book to comment, "You have a good selection of books."

"Thanks?" Valerie laughed, and she placed Roman in a corner with short, plastic, caged walls. Pathiel turned back to the ocean view and sighed out slowly. They'd have to go back for their supplies, but now that they knew the way, Valerie could go back to the car with them and leave them with their things. She still had a family to go back to, but she promised she'd be back during the week.

"Hey, Pathiel?" Valerie stepped up beside him, "Can I ask you something angelic?"

Pathiel shifted a bit but replied with, "Sure?"

"What's God like? You told me he wasn't an all-powerful being, He just seems like it to us. But is he good? What does he look like?" Valerie knew the spun things written in the bible, including heaven, hell and more, but she seemed to want to know more intimate details about the angels.

Pathiel turned to her with a frown, and her curious gaze made it soften into a look of understanding, "Okay, Father is..." how to describe his Father? "He's warm and inviting," Pathiel turned back to the view as his hands gripped his arms, "He's the best Father in the universe, I guess. And, you couldn't draw him if you tried, he looks different to everyone. He? She? They? Neither? All? He's different for everyone. To me, he's light and softness. Us angels would go astray without his presence. He's everything good in life and more. I hope he finds me, and I know he wouldn't abandon any of his children, no matter how insignificant they feel. I love him, and miss him dearly."

Valerie wasn't saying anything for a while and Pathiel noticed the other presence on his other side. The words soaked in, and Pathiel stayed still.

Father would come for him. Three of the angels in the Galaxian's prison said a variation of words that sent a feeling of need for their Father. He told them to mention a soul being delivered to death to call him inconspicuously if they need it. Pathiel didn't know _ why_ those specific words, but he hoped the call was strengthened enough. All Father would have to do is track the cores that sent it.

"What is Hevon like?"

"Hevon?" Pathiel questioned openly, before he continued slowly, "It's... not like Earth."

"What's it like then?"

"Again, it's different for everyone. It's kinda like a personal Hevon each," Pathiel mumbled as he curled up a bit.

Valerie laid a hand on his arm to direct a sympathetic smile to him, "Sorry. I'm asking a lot of questions."

"No, it's okay," Pathiel thought how to explain such a place, "I think... you're just asking weirdly worded questions, in a way."

"What's Hevon like to you then?" Langreon spoke up. Pathiel glanced up at the scientist who was watching him curiously.

The angel bit his lip lightly and thought a little bit before answering, "It's not like Earth, but I see a bit of it there," Pathiel explained as he turned to the view, "I see an endless field of bright green grass and a warm sun above me. On the happier days, there are a few flowers. On the sadder days, it rains. I never liked the water in my wings," Pathiel commented, and Langreon made an 'ah' sound of understanding.

"I wonder what I'd see," Valerie mused.

"You'll need an angel guiding you at all times, and you'll only see what they see," Pathiel told her, "Father put a sort of fail-safe in place. Only angels can enter the dimension and bring people there, no one or nothing else can break that."

"What happens if an angel releases you once you're in it?" Langreon questioned.

"You get shot out immediately. It's... not pretty."

"Okay, but metaphorically, if I was an angel," Valerie started, and she wore a massive grin as she got creative, "I'd see a huge pillow fort with hot chocolate available constantly!"

"I'd see a quiet library of all things I don't know about," Langreon chimed in, and Pathiel laughed at the ideas.

Pathiel was glad he was in a safe place until his Father could get him. His Father would help him with the device, and then he'd stay. He'd stay for Langreon and Roman, and even Valerie. He'd lived on Earth amongst his favourite species with a soldier, phoenix and a witch to help.

* * *

Patton opened his door, and he placed his keys and wallet in the puppy themed bowl at the entry point. He didn't call out in case Roman and Virgil were sleeping. Instead, he wandered quietly to the guest room to check on them. Hopefully, Roman knew where the spare mattress was.

Turns out, he didn't, and he was sleeping peacefully under the sheets with Virgil. 'Not dating,' but they probably should be, Patton mused. Although, Roman had cuddled Patton before, so maybe it was a platonic act? Patton doubted it.

Patton closed the door, and he headed back to the kitchen. The box Virgil handed him was still on the island bench, and he felt drawn to it. He resisted for the sake of some water. Staying hydrated was always a good idea.

Patton set down the empty cup, and he decided to get it over with. He sat on a stool at the bench and pulled the box closer to him. With his head tilted down, as if it would help him see it, he steadily slipped off the lid.

Inside, a large band of glassy metal sat in the middle. It appeared to shine from the overhead light and it took Patton a minute to process what it was. Was that diamond? What was this much diamond doing in here and in that shape?

A folded piece of paper was under it, and Patton avoided touching the diamond in fear of putting his fingerprints on it. What if this was stolen? How did Virgil get this? Maybe the paper had more information?

Once he fished it out and opened it, the note read,

_ Darling Pathiel, _

_ What are you truly without your halo? _

Halo? Again, where did Virgil get this? And, what was it supposed to mean? And, there's that name again. _ Pathiel? _

Patton didn't want to touch it, but each time he glanced away, it dragged his eyes right back. It was calling to him. How? It was a piece of metal yet the longer it was exposed, the louder it seemed to be. But it wasn't speaking, yelling, screaming, or humming. It was _ silent. _

Patton got up to grab a napkin from his cupboard. With it in hand, he used it to pick up the diamond crown to examine it from all sides. It was beautiful, no denying it. The way it sparkled under the light was enchanting. Didn't someone in his dreams have this?

Patton put the crown back into the box with the note. As he moved away, the napkin shifted slightly, and he brushed the surface with the tip of his finger.

That was all it took to feel whole.

Patton felt complete. He felt himself understand why he was here, who he was and the sheer magnitude of the universe. Feathers were present, as was a blinding sun. Flowers, grass, light, and more. A child laughed and someone joined in with a rich tone that made something deep in him giggle. It was warm. And scary, and immense-

And then, it left. Patton's finger no longer touched it, but he was now sitting on the floor, with his back pressed against the cupboards. He was fine, yet he felt broken. He was missing something. He was incomplete.

Who was _ Patton _really?

Pathiel, the 'angel' he always seemed to be looking with, not at, in his dreams. Langreon and the child, whoever they were, they were always there. And then, who was Pathiel, and where was he _i__f _he wasn't a dream?

Why was the note directed to Pathiel, but the box was given to him? Did Virgil know what was inside?

Patton had an idea, but he didn't want to believe it. He liked his life. His jobs, his friends, and his... who was his family?

Who were his parents? Where did he grow up? Who was his childhood friend? What school did he go to? Why couldn't he remember?

He had history, but as soon as he touched that diamond crown, it all crumbled. Patton was nothing. Just a person in a house with an unknown car and a puppy themed bowl at the front door. Patton had no pictures of his childhood, his parents, and he wondered how he hadn't noticed.

Patton was nothing before Roman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Valerie: What's God like? Where's Hevon exactly? Is space really infinite, or is there a limit? Where do we go when we die?  
Pathiel: *nervous sweating*


	10. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Langreon helps Pathiel again, and Roman misses them. Logan gets one step further, and someone attacks his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. Am. So. Sorry.  
I've been so late with writing this chapter, I really hope this makes up for it.
> 
> Warnings: Mystically hurting oneself, break-ins

The Deceitful One - most called him evil, but he knew what his goals were. Deceit was going to be the ultimate witch, the most knowledgeable of his kind to live. He created the aviation potion, he researched the metamorphic concoction - he was the only living witch in existence to master phoenix given ingredients. From the ashes, he could create a longevity potion, and using the phoenix's tears for medical potions were old school. He wanted to change the laws of life - no, he wanted to destroy them.

Deceit was working on reanimating the dead. This would be the discovery to put him in witches' history books to come. But, something went wrong with his experiment. He had added what he calculated to be the optimal amount of phoenix ash. All his time and effort, all his lies, this is where they would end. He had a new source. At least, that was the plan.

An explosion went off and knocked him back into his shelves of potions. Each fell with a shatter, and he cried out as glass clung to him. Amongst the fog and teary eyes, a figure stood. They morphed rapidly - from a child to adult, and back again. Over and over. Then, it stopped. The young adult ran away before he could speak. He lost consciousness moments after.

* * *

Langreon started to unpack the bags from the island bench, which were much prettier than their previous. Valerie, before leaving, gave them hints, tips, some potions, and a warning that if they didn't shower, she would 'personally hunt them down and wash them with a power hose.' Pathiel laughed, but Langreon would love to see her try.

The angel was currently in the bath, not the shower. Why humans needed options for cleaning themselves, Langreon, again, would never know. Pathiel said it was easier than standing up and was surprisingly relaxing. It beat potentially falling due to his wings getting soaked and becoming heavier. Pathiel hated water in his wings, but he'd have to clean them to keep them healthy, so this was inevitable.

Langreon looked up at the sound of giggling from Roman. The phoenix had been washed and put into a pair of 'sleepers,' as Valerie explained. The witch had soaked the item beforehand in a fire retardant potion to avoid the phoenix bursting into flames and burning it away too.

The child was staring at him from behind his cage with big honey brown eyes. Langreon pulled a face and Roman squealed. The scientist paused. Did he just make a silly face at the child? Apparently, he did, but Roman had laughed, and that sound was enough to fill his heart with joy. He supposed it was worth it.

"Langreon!" came a call from Pathiel. Langreon set down a pile of blankets on the wide couch and made his way to the bathroom.

"Yeah?"

"Can you come in here? I need a little help with my wings..." Pathiel's small voice came, as Langreon opened the door. Pathiel was dressed in a comfortable sweater with 'sweat' pants. He'd long since stopped asking about names.

"What it is?"

"I'll need to wash them, but I'll need an extra hand," Pathiel mumbled out as he rubbed the collar of his sweater, "It's usually something we get help for."

Langreon nodded, and he noticed the bath was full of clean water, "I'm guessing you've already filled that then," he eyed the angel a bit curiously, "How do I help?"

Pathiel made some kind of unneeded gesture to the bath, "I'll lean against it, and put my wings in. Just... be careful?"

Langreon only nodded in response, and he moved to help Pathiel out with his wings. They managed to get into a position that worked the best for them both. Pathiel was sitting on a small step stool with his wings half dipped in the water. Langreon had removed his shoes and pulled up his pant's legs to prevent them from getting wet as he sat on the bath's ledge opposite the wings.

Langreon worked on cleaning the feathers, and Pathiel helped with slight movements. Langreon noticed the wings became lighter - less cream colour and more white underneath the feathers. Pathiel was surprisingly still and silent throughout the process.

Soon, they finished and the water was murky with dust and dirt. Langreon emptied the tub and ran some clean water to rinse off his legs that were dipped in the bad water. He looked to Pathiel who hadn't made a move to stand, knees to his chest and cheek laid on them.

Langreon got out of the tub and kneeled to the angel's height, "Pathiel? I'm done with-" he paused when he saw the slow way Pathiel opened his eyes, "Oh."

Pathiel smiled lightly and mumbled a bit, none of which Langreon understood. The scientist decided it would be up to him to dry the wings. He got up to retrieve a towel and began to dry the feathers of the right wing. While he was busy fluffing them up, a heavy thump hit his shoulders, and he reacted with a jolt. Pathiel made a word of annoyance at the movement and before long, the angel had moved closer.

Langreon knew Pathiel was a physical creature, he'd concluded this long ago, but he still hadn't gotten used to the feeling of Pathiel leaning close. It sent him a funny feeling and a need to smile wide. The angel shuffled closer and slowly the wings lifted from the bath to curl around them. Water dripped along the floor at the movement.

Langreon continued to dry the wings quicker now. He reasoned it was because he didn't want the bathroom getting soaked, but maybe he didn't like being clueless to what that feeling was. He liked - no, he didn't like how warm he felt with the angel right here. It confused him and wasn't the reaction he normally got when other's were close. Granted, that normally meant he was being attacked, but this time it wasn't violent.

It was only a touch, but to Langreon, he felt himself grow tired and warmer still from the contact. Maybe the angel's was unconsciously using his empathy, and what Langreon was feeling was merely a mirror of Pathiel's own emotions. His movements were starting to slow, just when he finished drying the right wing.

Langreon went to turn to the left one curled around them, and Pathiel took the opportunity to lean more against his chest. The angel's nose was pressed to his neck, his breath tickling the skin, and it took all his will power to not scrunch up. Langreon slowly began to dry the other wing, being careful not to disturb Pathiel. If the angel needed sleep, Langreon didn't want to be the one to wake him.

* * *

Pathiel woke up to the sound of a giggle, and he found himself laying on a comfortable surface. It didn't take long for him to reason it was a bed. He stretched his wings up and out, shuffling the blanket off him with a sigh. He then lifted his head to look around. He immediately felt the other presence in the room.

Langreon was at the doorway shushing a fidgety Roman. The phoenix reached out to Pathiel as if wanting attention from him and him alone.

"Sorry," Langreon started, carrying the phoenix over, "Roman wanted to be with you," Pathiel hummed tiredly in a questioning tone, "He nearly said your name."

"What?"

Langreon smiled ever so slightly as he sat down, letting Roman wiggle to Pathiel, "Valerie told me the way phoenixes grow are different from humans. They learn to talk before anything else."

Pathiel prodded the tiny hand reaching out to him, "So we're waiting for him to start talking before he'll walk?"

"Well, phoenixes are very family dependent, and they didn't need to travel around like humans, so evolution regarding mobility wasn't a priority. Valerie also mentioned to not leave him alone for long periods. That's something you two have in common, and something I didn't know earlier," Langreon mumbled, and Pathiel frowned at the considerable tone.

It took Pathiel a while to remember what the scientist was talking about. When Langreon was helping him with his wings, he had to leave Roman alone. It must have been lonely for the child, and maybe the phoenix had latched onto Langreon like he was currently with Pathiel. Roman probably missed the scientist just as much as the angel. The phoenix was trying to wiggle under his arm, and he tugged at a few feathers as he went. Pathiel hissed before he laughed quietly at the confused look Roman gave him.

"Careful with the feathers, kiddo," Pathiel muttered, and he brushed a thumb against the child's cheek. Shuffling was heard and before Pathiel had a chance to investigate, Langreon had lowered himself to lay on his side, facing the two.

"I'm curious," Langreon started, as Roman found his place under an arm and wing of the angel, "What do you know about phoenixes? You seem to know some things, but not others."

"I was never allowed to see them, remember?" Pathiel held the child close as Roman began to quiet down, "I was told stories of them, but my family were always grey with what they discovered."

"Grey?"

"Unsure," Pathiel corrected, "Some loved them, but some thought they were a threat to the species we were mainly helping at the time - the humans. I... I never thought about them, I was more focused on humanity. If I had known they'd disappear when we did... maybe they wouldn't all be dead. Maybe we could've helped them."

Langreon moved to set a hand on his shoulder, "You didn't know. But, where is all this blame coming from?"

"I think," Pathiel looked down to the child gripping at his feathers, eyes bright, "I think I may have gotten attached."

"You and me both," Langreon stated. Pathiel smiled at the scientist and shuffled his wing to cover the two of his favourite beings in the universe, minus his family, of course. Langreon only moved his hand to curl around the angel's, Roman starting to babble in excitement at the two.

* * *

Logan stood at the mirror once more. This time, he wore what he was curious about from the start. The suit did fit him perfectly, and he couldn't help but stretch to analyse how it moved. It wasn't like any other material or fabric he's felt before.

Logan lifted his hands to start prodding at it. He'd ended up opening a flat lid on his wrist, before activating an umbrella-like object over his body which nearly took out his ceiling fan, and more. He swore as he found his footing again. He began to press them all away before pausing above the symbol that resembled a tie's knot. Instinct pulled him to press it like he had done it a million times before.

It felt like something in Logan was waking up. Every inch of his body was screaming for attention with these new sensations. He could feel everything, breathe wider, and he was stronger for it. He didn't know how, but he knew he could take on anything. It was a huge thought for someone usually reserved to his mind, someone who avoided conflict.

Logan received flashes of people and places he's never heard of. He felt controlled, in line with others, happiness, longing, and finally, grief. He'd lost someone. Someone close to him. It was overwhelmingly strong, and it was all he could think about as every inch of that power left him.

Who had he lost?

It was someone happy, empathic. Someone who'd lay down their life for him - them. They were dead and someone else took their place. Someone masquerading as them, but it couldn't be. Who had he lost?

* * *

Virgil woke up to Roman's face laying right in front of him. It took his entire will power to resist screaming. The mage huffed, but that quick breath made the phoenix scrunch his nose up in his sleep at the sensation. Virgil paused at the sight, and a few things became clear.

Roman was cute, really cute. Roman was loud, dramatic, openly gay, but very cute. He was handsome, creative and yet insecure. He was small, but he tried so hard to be big. Virgil admired his persistence. He'd been thrown so much, and yet here he was... being annoyingly cute.

Virgil heard a crash coming from down the hall, and he sat up slowly to not wake Roman. Patton should've been home by now, and he reasoned that he'd probably dropped something while making food, pushing out other worries. Patton was clumsy, it was logical. But then, Virgil heard a sound similar to glass shattering, and that got him moving. He worried more and more that his friend was hurt as he moved.

When Virgil paused at the doorway of the kitchen, Patton was kneeling in front of clear shards of what appeared to be glass, and Virgil didn't question it. The mage ran over to pull Patton away, his priority being his friend's safety.

"Patton-"

"It's okay," Patton mumbled, and his tone sounded downright defeated, "It doesn't break."

Something moved out the corner of his eye, and Virgil watched incredulously as the shards all moved together, forming a ring of diamonds. That wasn't the weirdest part, and maybe he needed to work on prioritising what was 'weird.'

"That's... but, that's made of diamond?! What are you doing with that?!" Virgil shrieked. Briefly, he hoped he didn't wake Roman.

Patton gave him a confused look, "You gave it to me, remember?"

Virgil noticed the open box on the island bench. He didn't know what was in it. Valerie told him to deliver it to Patton and not open it himself, something she said very strictly. Turns out, his mother was handing out diamonds.

"I didn't know it was..." Virgil left Patton's side momentarily to pick up the note, reading the words once, before he repeated them out loud, "_'__Darling Pathiel, what are you truly without your halo?'_ This... this isn't my mother's handwriting. I'd know, because at least I can read it," Virgil muttered.

Patton patted his arm as he passed, "Watch this," he then picked the diamond band back up. He lifted it above his head and, before Virgil could stop him, threw it to the floor harshly.

"Patton!"

Light erupted from both the band and his friend, filling the room with a flash. Virgil had to turn away, but when he glanced back, worry filled him even more. Patton was on the floor again, jaw tight in pain and hunched over.

This wasn't his happy, optimistic friend anymore. This person was hurting himself, somehow, and had sludged movements. This one didn't smile, or laugh, or cry, nothing.

"Patton, stop," Virgil headed to his friend's side as the diamond shards began to knit back together, "I don't know what you're doing, but you're hurting yourself. Just, stop, Patton, no more."

"I'm not Patton," Patton spoke up, and he looked over to the mage who stared in surprise, "I don't know who I am, but it's all a lie."

"Patton, you're-"

Glass smashed from the living room and panic hit Virgil hard. Loud footsteps were heard and a bunch of thumps were heard of things being thrown. That wasn't Roman, or Patton, let alone him. Now was not the time for murderers to come in, or burglars, or space pirates wielding lightsabers. Well, maybe not the last one, but anything was possible in Virgil's hyper mind.

Virgil grabbed Patton, who had picked up the band to hold protectively, and moved them to the hall. His friend let him tug him back down the hall and to the guest room where Roman was wide awake at the noise. The mage sat Patton on the bed and the diamond band on his lap.

Roman shuffled to Patton in concern before he looked up at the mage, "What's going on? What's that noise?" Virgil didn't answer yet as he dug out a marker from his tub of magical items.

A loud bang followed by footsteps made the phoenix quickly get up. Virgil began to draw a sigil on the door, unsure but determined. This was used to give bottles the strength of steel. He wasn't sure if it would work on a door, but if he can _will it_ with his gift, maybe he can make it happen.

"No idea. All I know is someone's loud and aggressive tonight," Virgil pressed his hands against the finished symbol and closed his eyes to concentrate on his thoughts. He pushed forward the constant feeling to protect, to shield, and he used that.

_'You work for glass, now work for a door, turn it into the consistency of steel,'_ Virgil told the sigil forcefully. The feeling of power being drained told him it worked. He dropped his hands as footsteps stopped in front of the door, loud and with purpose. His eyes opened to the sight of the glow fading from the sigil, the outline carved into the wooden-looking door being the only indication it was there.

Roman tugged him away at the first bang, "We need to call the police."

"No," Virgil said quickly, "They won't help, it'll only expose us witches."

"Someone broke in! That's a standard police issue!"

"And there's a chance that this person is stronger than all their forces combined - a witch," Virgil hissed back, "We're not calling the police, we're leaving this place."

If this was the Deceitful One, like his worried mind was screaming, then the police would have no chance. And if it wasn't, Virgil still wasn't ready to take on another witch. He was here to protect Roman, and in turn, Patton. He could feel the presence of powerful magic settling over the house, and it wasn't his sigil.

"Come on," Virgil dragged the phoenix to the window and pulled it open. Patton stood up to follow them with the diamond band in his hands. It seemed Patton, though spaced out, could feel how dire the situation was. But, he was still moving too slow.

Roman pushed Virgil's shoving hands off him and frowned at him, "You're-"

"No time to chat, princess," Virgil unceremoniously picked Roman up to pass him through the window, dropping him onto the grass. He was lucky it was a one-story building. With Virgil's help, Patton followed after the phoenix.

Sizzling reached Virgil's ears, and the sigil he made was the source. It was burning away and the thumping had silenced as it did so. Definitely a witch, as only magic could remove a magic sigil. This witch may be powered by a potion or two because there was no way a normal witch could remove a sigil without touching it.

Before the sigil could be completely removed, Virgil grabbed his phone from the bedside table and forgot about the tub of magical items. He can always make more.

Virgil climbed out the window just as the door bust down with a powerful hit. He pocketed his phone with the marker before the three raced off, the mage catching a glimpse of who it was. The scales that infected half of his face confirmed his mind's constant warnings.

It was the Deceitful One, and he was after Roman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pathiel: I can't be alone...  
Roman: I can't be alone...  
Langreon: I can't leave them alone.


End file.
